I am not a Robot
by Pawn Of Synchro
Summary: She is created by nuts and bolts. There is nothing real about her. She had a metal body built and a personality programmed for her. Though, while she stays at a safe distance by her creators, she also takes the opportunity to help a lost soul - someone who has trouble fitting in. She knows that he doesn't want help, but she wishes for nothing but to give it to him...
1. Prologue

**I Am Not a Robot**

 _Prologue:_

* * *

Chihiro Fujisaki was known for his programming skills, but what good is that when those pink pixels that make up her eyes are staring at you, wanting – expecting – more. Wanting to see the real world and being more than just an AI.

This was something that Fujisaki never really expected, though. The first fully-functional AI that he gave the name of Alter Ego was such a success, that by the time he began to fiddle around with his next project, he never realized how much that even he was feeling guilt by not letting the poor thing out and see more people.

The AI would often ask, "How are your classmates?" Fujisaki would tell the AI stories, but even though they tried to hide it, they looked upset.

Fujisaki – even with all of his programming skills – wouldn't be able to make a miracle happen with the snap of his fingers, though, if he could, he would.

"It's okay," The AI said with a small, sad smile. "It's not that important anyway..."

Fujisaki sighed. "If there was a body, then I would be able to program you in that somehow, but the only problem is how to get you one..."

Fujisaki scratched the back of his neck as he looked out the classroom window. It was beginning to get late; the sun was even beginning to go down. Sometimes he gets so caught up with his projects that he forgets to keep track of time. He looked back at the screen, where the AI let out a yawn.

"I'll try again tomorrow, okay?" He said with a comforting smile, to which the AI replied with a small nod.

"Who is that behind you?" The AI asked with curiosity. Fujisaki blinked as he tilted his head and slowly turned his head around to see an intimidating-looking boy who had pink hair and matching coloured eyes. He was wearing a green jumpsuit and black beanie – a classic look for a rebellious kid. Fujisaki squeaked in surprise and shifted himself over a bit, away from the older-looking boy.

"Holy cow," The pink-haired boy said in genuine awe. "That looks frick'n awesome!"

Fujisaki gulped. "You think so?" He asked shyly.

The stranger nodded with a large smile, showing his sharp teeth. "Yep! Did you do this yourself?"

Fujisaki stared at the ground in embarrassment. "Um..."

The pink-haired boy blinked. "You must be the programmer at this school, right? That's so cool! What's your name?"

Fujisaki looked back up at the boy and stared at him for a moment, trying to find out what kind of person he was. Of course, it's difficult to tell because of his looks, but then again, he learned a lot from being at Hope's Peak Academy. Oowada was a biker gang leader, and Fujisaki thought that he was one of the kindest people that he has ever met.

"Fujisaki Chihiro." He answered with a small smile.

"The name's Souda Kazuichi! Super Duper High School Level Mechanic! Nice to meet you, Fujisaki!" The boy introduced.

Fujisaki nodded in agreement as the two shook hands. Souda took his interest back to the screen. "So, she looks pretty...has she got a name or something...?"

Fujisaki turned back to the AI, who looked at the two of them in curiosity. "Um...Nanami Chiaki..." He replied.

The mechanic tilted his head. "So, do you have to type to have a conversation with her...?" He asked.

Fujisaki giggled. "No. You can just talk to her like you would with anyone else."

Souda's smile grew as his eyes sparkled. "Whoa! Are you kidding me? That's amazing!" He said excitedly. "In that case, nice to meet you Nanami!"

"..." Nanami stared at him for a moment before finally answering him. "Nice to meet you too, Souda. As you know, my name is Nanami Chiaki. I like to play video games as a hobby. I hope that we can get along...I think..."

Souda's eyes sparkled even more – Fujisaki didn't even know that that was possible – as he leaned closer towards the screen. "Whoa, she's cute! Of course, I wouldn't stop chasing Sonia-san for her, but still!" His eyes narrowed. "It's a shame that we can't take this further..."

Fujisaki quickly stood up. "That's it! You're a genius, Souda!" He announced.

Souda blushed. "W-Well, I wouldn't really call myself a _genius_..." He said, obviously happy.

"Please, from the bottom of my heart, Souda, help me with something important!" Fujisaki pleaded.

Souda thought for a moment as he stared at Fujisaki's adorable face. He really didn't think that he could take the eyes anymore. "Sure, why not? I need something to tinker with anyway..."

Fujisaki's smile grew. "Thank you, Souda!" He thanked.

It was at that moment that the two began to work on the project. Nanami even had a smile on her face. She was soon going to be able to see the world from more than just the computer screen. A free body and life. She couldn't help but to be a little excited.

...All that she would have to do is wait...

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **YAY! That is my first chapter of the story! Well, really it's a prologue, but still...  
I always imagined Fujisaki and Souda creating something together, but I didn't have enough of an idea until I suddenly came up with this. I know that many people think that Souda builds a body for Nanami later on, and I thought that too! So, I just came up with this!  
I have high, wait for it...HOPES – giggles – for this story and wish to continue it. Of course, that means that I need motivation and feedback! I love Fujisaki, Souda and Nanami to bits and if you have any constructive criticism, that would be great. After all, there is always room for improvement!**

 **Reviews are like hope shards! They fill me with joy! Just tell me what you think and I will be motivated to write longer chapters too!**


	2. Protection

**I am not a Robot:**

 _Chapter one: Protection_

* * *

Nanami continued to play a game on one of her portable consoles as she sat on one of the motorcycles out the front of the bike store that Souda and his family owned. She normally stayed at Souda's house as it was convenient. Souda's father hardly came back until late in the night and left early in the morning, so there was never any need to actually hide. But Nanami knew one thing – if Souda and his father did come into contact with one another because of her, there would be some trouble. After all, he _did_ always talk about how much he hated him.

Nanami usually just waited outside the shop and guarded the fort until either Souda or Fujisaki came back from wherever they would go for most of the day. Though, it's not like anyone would really steal anything from the shop – no one even walked near it.

Nanami let out a small yawn and turned off her console and waited until she saw Souda and Fujisaki walking towards her, talking to each-other. Though, every afternoon would have the same routine, especially with Souda...

Souda turned to face her and his face brightened. "Chiaki...!" He had practically leaped at her and picked her up with ease spinning her around. He had also gone to the liberty to calling her by her first name. Nanami just stared at him with a bored expression until she was put back down onto the ground.

"Wha-! Souda-kun, be careful!" Fujisaki told him as he finally caught up.

Souda blinked and quickly bowed. "S-Sorry! My bad! You haven't got any scratches or-?"

"I'm fine, Souda..." Nanami replied with a small sigh.

Souda looked at her, slightly hurt. "Uh, Chiaki...I thought that we agreed on just calling me Kazuichi, didn't we...?"

Nanami just yawned. "I'm sleepy..." She said.

Souda slowly walked over to a corner and kneeled down, playing around with something on the ground. Fujisaki was secretly hoping that he wasn't starting to squash ants like Saionji does...

"What are you doing, Souda...?" He asked, worried about his answer.

"I'm building a hamster home..." Souda muttered sadly.

Fujisaki tilted his head. "But, shouldn't Tanaka-sempai be the one to build one...?" He asked innocently.

Souda just mumbled something under his breath; most likely he's trash-talking Tanaka and his Four Dark Gods of Destruction. Nanami and Fujisaki just looked at each-other and shrugged their shoulders. Fujisaki looked back at Souda.

"Souda-kun, didn't you want to talk to Chiaki about something...?" He asked. Souda quickly stood up and ran back towards the two.

"That's right!" Souda said, nodding, a smile now glued back onto his face. "We can go inside and talk about it over some coke!"

The three of them walked inside the shop and Souda threw his schoolbag on the ground and took out some cans of coke that he had just bought as Fujisaki carefully placed his schoolbag next to him on the couch. The three of them sat down on the couch, Souda fiddling around with his fingers and Fujisaki staring at the ground.

Nanami just stared at the two, waiting. She could've been playing a game or sleeping, but instead, she was involved in an awkward conversation.

"S-So..." Souda began as Nanami blinked at him in confusion. "Um, Fujisaki and I decided to think it over and um...even though I sort of think it's still kind of a bad idea..."

Fujisaki looked back up at Nanami. "We thought it would be good if we took the next step and bring you with us to school..." He said as he gave a small smile.

Nanami stared at the two of them. "School...?" She asked. "You mean, the same place where you two decided to-?"

"Yeah!" Souda said. "But, I have already prepared a list of what you shouldn't do."

Nanami tilted her head. "Souda, I already know the basics of school rules..." She told him. "I learned enough from the game-"

"Ah! But you haven't heard _my_ list of rules! Here, read!" Souda interrupted as he shoved a small piece of paper into Nanami's hands – well, it looked small, but it quickly unfolded and managed to touch the ground. Nanami squinted as she tried to read the mechanic's messy hand-writing.

"Do not talk to strangers, don't do drugs, no drinking alcohol, don't let anyone..." Nanami trailed off, falling asleep through reading.

"Chiaki, come on! Wake up!" Souda yelled. "Man, and after carefully spending a whole three nights coming up with this..."

Nanami woke up with a yawn. "Souda, if I may say so, these 'rules' are just basic common sense...Alter Ego already explained all of this to me..."

"Uh...is that so...?" Souda asked, laughing awkwardly.

Nanami nodded. "And besides, weren't you a stranger when we met...?" She asked, Souda freezing up.

"Uh...come again...?" Souda asked.

Nanami didn't seem to notice Souda's reaction and continued. "And I talked to you, so should I stop talking to you?"

Souda stepped back. "H-Hell no! We're not strangers anymore, okay! So you can keep talking to me!"

Fujisaki stood up, looking as if he wanted to stop the confusion. "Well, um...the main point of this is so then Chiaki can make new friends...so she would have to talk to others..."

"Well, yeah...but-!"

"Souda, about rule seven-" Nanami began.

"Ah! That was a mistake! It was for something else actually..." Souda screamed as he waved his arms in the air.

Nanami sighed. "But, how did you get me in...? I mean, without a-"

"Oh! Well, Fujisaki pulled some strings!" Souda answered, now smiling as he cracked open a can of coke. "Let's just say that he knows people..."

"So, am I going to be in the same class as the two of you...?" Nanami asked.

"No, unfortunately we are in different grades...and Souda insisted on you two being in the same class and I didn't want to hurt his feelings..." Fujisaki replied.

"D-Don't make me sound desperate!" Souda yelled in embarrassment.

Nanami smiled sweetly. "Thank you, both of you..." She said genuinely. "This is as great as that one time when I beat the final boss on Final Fan-"

Souda quickly covered her mouth. "Shh...!" He said, his eyes darting around. "They could be listening...!"

"Well, I guess you get the point..." Nanami said as Souda removed his hand away from her mouth. "This should be fun! But...I'm not sure how good I'll be..."

"Nah, it'll be easy...!" Souda reassured. "Just think of it as one of your games..."

Nanami thought about it for a second. "Well, just as long as it isn't a dating simulator...I suppose I'll be okay..."

"Yeah! You will be!" Souda added. "After all, rule seventeen strictly states that-!"

"So, when do I start...?" Nanami asked.

"Hey! You didn't listen to me!" Souda yelled.

* * *

"Attention! This is our new transfer student!" The teacher at the front announced and then looked at Nanami who stood at the front, writing her name on the board. "Please, introduce yourself."

Nanami turned around and bowed. "My name is Nanami Chiaki – Super Duper High-School Level Gamer. It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you. Now, Nanami has only been home-schooled up until now, so please, don't go trying anything...and I'm not just talking about physical abuse – I'm talking to you, Hanamura!" The teacher said. "Please, take an empty seat."

Nanami did as instructed and took a seat next to a boy with wild white hair and green eyes – much to Souda's disappointment – and tried her best to stay awake during class. Every so often, she would get a soft poke from the boy next to her if she began to doze off. She reminded herself to thank the boy later, even though she would've loved to be playing her copy of a new game that she was so close to completely than learning about ancient history...

Once the bell rang, everyone stood up and began to do their own thing. Nanami looked around for the white-haired boy who had gone missing until she spotted him standing next to the window, staring outside.

Nanami took a deep breath and walked over to the boy – noticing that up close, he was considerably taller than her. She stood there for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Though, it must've taken too long as the boy noticed her, just staring at him.

"Yes, Nanami-San?" The boy asked with a smile.

"Thank you for keeping me awake for that lesson..." She said simply.

The boy blinked and then let out a quiet laugh. "Well, on the first day you're here, you're already thanking _me_ of all people...I can't say that I'm disappointed, but it was really nothing..."

Nanami blinked. "Um...so, what's your talent...?"

Nanami remembered how she was taught to learn things about people before truly becoming friends with them. And, with Hope's Peak Academy being the school for the talented, there were most likely going to be a lot of things to talk about.

The boy looked at the ground and mumbled something that Nanami couldn't quite hear. The boy looked back at her, noticing her confusion and scratched the back of his neck.

"Um...well, it's pretty lame, but...I'm the Lucky student..."

Luckily, Fujisaki told her in advance about the 'Lucky students'. Every year there would be a drawing to decide which ordinary person would be able to attend Hope's Peak. Nanami got the point.

"Ah, I see...so, you're like the main character of a game..." Nanami said.

"Huh...?" The luckster asked.

"Well, think about it. There is a group of totally interesting characters surrounding you and you are the ordinary one of the group. This happens a lot in role-play games, like in Corpse-"

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm _ordinary_..." The Lucky boy said. "Ah, how rude of me! My name is Komaeda Nagito, nice to meet you..."

"Nice to meet you too Komaeda...do you like running over zombies with a wheelchair...?" Nanami asked.

Komaeda smiled. "Well, I can't say that I've run over them with a wheelchair, but I have played some zombie games where I have run over them with a car..."

"Do you like classic or modern games...?"

"Well, I haven't actually played that many of the classics, but I do enjoy a game of Russian Roulette...is that what you meant...?"

Nanami stared at Komaeda, trying not to show her surprise. "Not really..."

Komaeda shrugged. "Are you trying to get to know me...?" He asked.

Nanami nodded. "Well, other than Chihiro and Souda, I need someone else to talk to..."

Komaeda looked back at the desk where Souda was sitting, bashing his head repeatedly against the surface, and then looked back at Nanami. "Well...I guess I can see why..."

Before another awkward pause came around, Komaeda spoke again. "Say, why don't I introduce you to the others...? It would be a lot easier if you knew some good people."

Nanami thought that there was some hidden meaning behind what he meant by 'good people', but decided to leave it be as she nodded. "That would be great. Of course, Souda has already told me all about-"

"Sonia Nevermind, right?" Komaeda finished.

"How did you-?"

"He has a plain as day crush on her, of course he would tell you about her."

Suddenly, Nanami was grabbed by her wrist and dragged into the hallway faster than the blue hedgehog on one of her games – though, it would be pointless trying to say the title as it would somehow be interrupted. When she was let go of, Souda was staring at her intensely.

"Not with him!" Souda shouted. " _Anyone_ but him!"

Nanami sighed. Of course, Souda had to criticise again. She got tired of a lot, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Okay, why?" She asked curiously.

"Because, he is dangerous!" Souda exclaimed. "I would trust Kuzuryuu over him any day!"

Now, Nanami couldn't quite understand what he was talking about as she zoned out through the entire lecture of her classmates, but she still wanted to at least do something without Souda constantly telling her what to do.

"Souda, I understand that you're looking after me, but please understand that the whole point of me being here is so that I can meet new people and know how to deal with situations myself." Nanami said, trying to put it as nicely as possible.

Souda's eye twitched as he folded his arms. "Well, can't I just tell you a little about-?"

"So, do you know everything there is to know about him...?" Nanami asked.

"Huh?" Souda asked, caught slightly off-guard.

"His birthday, what elementary school he went to, if his hair colour is natural, if he prefers boxers or briefs...you know, basic information that can tell me that you know him as well as you think you do..." Nanami explained.

"I know enough, Chiaki! I know that he can't be trusted and-!"

"Souda, please..." Nanami interrupted. "I can find out what kind of person he is by myself. If you tell me something, then it's like using a GameShark...there's no effort..."

"But that's what I'm trying to say...!" Souda shouted, getting louder. If this conversation continued any further, they would cause a scene, and that would've been the last thing that Nanami needs on her first day. "If you let me explain and-!"

"Souda," Nanami said as she turned around. "Thank you, but I don't think it would be fair to use a cheat code, especially outside of a game..."

Souda was practically fuming. At this point, Nanami would give the match to Souda and admit defeat and let him have his way, but she knew that it wouldn't be fair on Komaeda, especially since she has only known him for the day...

" _Fine_! I don't care, anymore! You can go and get damaged for life because of that guy for all I care! But don't come crying to me, because I'll just say that I told you so!" Souda stormed off through the halls after his speech, muttering under his breath, most likely cursing. Nanami didn't let it bother her too much though. When they had their disagreements, they usually went back to their usually relationship within an hour or so. And besides, Souda did always tell her to stick up for herself, so really, she is listening to him...just not in the way he thought she would...

She walked back into the classroom and over to Komaeda, who was still waiting for her with a smile. She thought that it felt rather comforting...

"Is everything okay...?" He asked in a concerned voice. "I heard Souda yelling...nothing happened, right...?"

Nanami smiled back at him. "It's okay. We just had different opinions on something..."

The gamer felt a sudden tug on her collar and turned around to see a hamster on a shoulder, looking as if it were inspecting her. She carefully grabbed it and held the small creature in the palms of both of her hands in front of her.

"A hamster...?" Nanami asked herself, confused. How the little guy managed to climb the stairs all the way up to the third floor by itself was beyond her...

Komaeda chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you...Tanaka does this to everyone..." He explained.

Nanami blinked. "Tanaka...?" She asked.

Komaeda nodded. "Yup. He's-!"

The hamster jumped out of Nanami's hands and quickly scurried off to an intimidating – even more so than Souda – young man who looked like an anti-hero of her games. He was dressed in dark colours and had one black and one red eye along with a scar across his black eye. And emerging from his purple scarf were three more hamsters...though, looking at him, Nanami knew that she had heard of someone with this description before...

"-right there..." Komaeda finished.

"...I think Souda talked about him before..." Nanami said in thought.

Komaeda shrugged. "That's because they don't get along...they're mortal enemies..."

Suddenly, Tanaka began to laugh maniacally, and it was at this moment that Nanami realized that he is just like an anti-hero. All four hamsters were sitting on his shoulders, looking as if they too, were laughing.

"You foul human...! Your dare say that I, the great Tanaka Gundham, am one your kind? Ha! You mortal beings are truly deluded if you think that I am a puny mortal like you! You shouldn't even try to compare us!" Tanaka said with a large grin. It was either that he was _really_ into role-playing, or he _actually_ thought that he was another kind...Nanami decided to make a mental note on this guy...don't get him talking and expect him to stop...

Komaeda laughed nervously. "My mistake, Tanaka...my apologies..."

"Hm...that mistake shall be your last, I presume...! Otherwise my Dark Gods of Destruction will vanquish you and banish you from the world of the living...!" Tanaka said, sounding quite proud of himself.

"Well, Nanami-San, this is Tanaka Gundham, as you probably guessed from his speech just now...but, what you probably didn't know is that he is the Super Duper High-School Level Breeder..." Komaeda explained.

"..."

"..."

"...Oh really...?" Nanami asked.

Komaeda looked as if he were expecting a bigger reaction, but he didn't say anything about that.

"Girl from the Heavens," Tanaka spoke. Nanami presumed that it wasn't a compliment and just saying that she was a goodie-two-shoes. "What beast of destruction do you control..."

"..."

Komaeda just looked at her. "Do you have any pets...?"

Nanami tilted her head in thought. "Well, I have a Tamagotchi...does that count...?"

Tanaka looked as if he didn't even know what a Tamagotchi was, so she took it as a no...

"What about my dog?" Nanami asked. "It's a Beagle named Sparky..."

"You have a dog, Nanami-San?" Komaeda asked.

"Yeah, I go to the park and enter him in competitions..." Nanami said with a nod. "...Well, a _virtual_ dog anyway..."

The conversation wasn't really going anywhere...Nanami could name a million pets she has in her games, but the closest thing she has to a pet in real life would be the rats in Souda's garage...and she wasn't too fond of them, either...so in the end, Tanaka just walked off, muttering something about her being 'unworthy', or something along those lines...

"Want to meet everyone else?" Komaeda asked, getting right to the point.

Nanami nodded. Being with Komaeda was definitely different to being with Souda. Souda would ramble where Komaeda gets straight to the point in an unbiased way. So, it was a nice change of pace...

But, the two didn't need to move as someone walked up to them. A young, sophisticated-looking woman with long, blond hair – but not much more needs to be said. Nanami knew from the mechanic's rambling, who this young lady was.

"Excuse me for the intrusion," The taller lady said with a slight bow. "But I wanted to introduce myself as I have not done already...my name is Sonia Nevermind, it's a pleasure..." She smiled.

"You too..." Nanami replied. "You must be our Princess, right?"

"Yes, that is correct...but, I must ask, where did you obtain this knowledge?" Sonia asked.

"Um...Souda-"

Sonia's face darkened at the name of the mechanic. "Of course he did..." Nanami didn't expect this reaction. Though, she put two and two together to conclude that Souda was filling in the stories with some lies...

"By the way, speaking of which..." Sonia continued. "I heard Souda yelling in the hall...are you okay, Nanami...?"

Nanami nodded. "It's nothing really...it happens quite a bit..."

Sonia's eyes widened. "Are you perhaps...childhood friends...?"

"Erm...no, we met this year..." Nanami explained. "We met because of my...cousin..."

"Oh. I see...perhaps that will grant me more space, though; I didn't think that it should be at the expense of others..." Sonia said as she stared at the ground, rubbing her forearm.

Nanami shook her head. "It's okay...he's nice when you get to know him...just a little...clingy..." She explained.

"Well, I was just making sure that you were alright...and to introduce each-other, of course..." Sonia told her.

"Thank you for your concern." Nanami replied.

"Did somebody say 'introductions'...?" A girl with multi-coloured hair asked loudly as she rushed over to Nanami. "Well, here's everyone's favourite Band Member! Mioda Ibuki!" The girl held out a 'peace' sign and a large smile glued onto her face.

"Woo-hoo! So, you're the new student here, huh? Ibuki declares that a party should be thrown in celebration! Ibuki could sing live!" Mioda said excitedly.

"Um...I think that just being in the same class as you, Mioda, is enough of a party..." Komaeda said.

"Well, it still wouldn't be fair...Ibuki hasn't performed in a while..." Mioda said as she scratched her head in thought.

"That's because you had the amplifier too loud and we've been getting complaints from people in the surrounding buildings..." Komaeda mumbled.

"Nanami-Chan! Would you like Ibuki to throw you a party sometime soon...?" Mioda asked, grabbing onto both of Nanami's hands.

"Well, I have never had a party before..." Nanami admitted as she stared at the ground.

"WHA?!" Mioda gasped dramatically. "Then that is just that much more of reason for Ibuki to throw a party!"

"Did somebody say 'party'? That means that there's going to be food, right? I'm _in_!" A brunette said with a large grin. "Of course that party is going to be for..."

"..."

"Nun-chucks?"

"Owari, it's Nanami Chiaki." Komaeda corrected.

"Oh! Right!" Owari said. "I knew that..."

"Just make sure that there's a bathroom! There's nothing worse for a man than not being able to shit..." A bulky guy said a bit _too_ openly.

"And all the dishes will be prepared by myself...naturally..." A shorter boy in a chef uniform said with a smile. "Maybe Nanami will be able to entertain me with all of my hard work...!"

Nanami tilted her head. "Entertain...? We could play multi-player games, I suppose..."

"Uh...that's not-!" Komaeda began.

"Oh! Multi-player!" The chef began laughing uncontrollably. "I never took you for _that_ type, Nanami...!"

"Well, it's not as fun to do it by yourself..." Nanami explained, not getting the chef's drift.

The chef now had a bleeding nose. "Whoa! I never thought you tried it before...! And by yourself...! Well, you _are_ getting into the stage...!"

"Komaeda, is the 'stage' a secret level in a game I don't know about...?" Nanami asked the lucky student.

Komaeda looked a little uncomfortable with answering the question. "Um...he's not talking about a video game..." He managed to say.

This confused the gamer further. "...Then is it a board game...?" She asked.

"Um..." Komaeda scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Ah! Nanami-San, here we have Mioda Ibuki – Super Duper High-School Level Band Member..."

"Hiyo!" Mioda said enthusiastically.

"Owari Akane – Super Duper High-School Level Gymnist..."

"Is it...'No-Tatami-Mat'?" Owari asked, still trying to remember Nanami's name. Nanami just shook her head.

"Nidai Nekomaru – Super Duper High-School Level Team Manager..."

"Shit...now I need to shit..." Nidai grunted as he ran off.

"And..." Komaeda paused for a moment. "Hanamura Teruteru – Super Duper High-School Level Cook..."

"It's 'chef', actually..." Hanamura corrected. "Call me 'chef', won't you Nanami...?"

"Um...okay..." Nanami answered.

"Gosh, don't you have any manners, Hanamura...?" A red-haired girl asked as she walked up with her arms folded. "She just came today, and you're already harassing her...you men..."

"Something told me that you would show up, Koizumi..." Komaeda told her.

"Yeah, well... _someone_ needs to be the voice of reason around here, and it sure isn't going to be most of the guys here... _most_." Koizumi replied.

It was this moment that Nanami noticed the camera that Koizumi had hanging from a strap.

"You must be a photographer..." Nanami said.

Koizumi nodded. "That's right! My name is Koizumi Mahiru...it's nice to meet you, Nanami..." She said politely.

"Same here." Nanami replied.

"Come on, stubborn !" A childish voice squeaked. Nanami looked around to see a short, blond girl in a kimono playing around with something on the window-sill. Nanami walked over curiously to see that there was a bunch of ant guts everywhere.

"Where did all of these ants come from...?" Nanami asked no-one in particular.

The girl laughed. "There's a hole in the corner of the window... can get in easy this way...!"

Nanami couldn't take her eyes off of all of the dead ants. She prayed that someone would clean it up. But the main thought she had was that...it was gross...

"You'd think that for such a great school they wouldn't let a hole get passed them..." The young girl's expression changed. "What a bunch of idiots!"

"Are you playing a game...?" Nanami asked.

The girl stopped pressing her finger against the tortured ant and thought for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure if it's a game, but they make a great sound if you press them in the right place!" She explained.

'I'm pretty sure that's the sound of death...' Nanami thought to herself.

"Hey, you're some big-shot gamer, right? Then how about we see who can squish the most !" The girl suggested.

"...I don't know..." Nanami said in thought. She knew that Fujisaki didn't like killing things, so she shouldn't either. Even if it's an ant and it looks fun...

"I wouldn't if I were you! You'll become as much of a psychopath as she is!" A boy with short blonde hair said with a grin. In Nanami's first impression of him, he didn't look that much of a threat. What, with that baby-

"Oh shut up, shortie!" The girl yelled.

"What did you call me?" The boy yelled back.

"Didn't you hear me? Or did all of your brain-cells diminish?" The girl retorted.

"You are shorter than me, you midget!" The boy shouted. "So, you have _no_ right to say anything about my size, you little bitch!"

"P-Please..." A girl with long black hair pleaded with the two. "W-We shouldn't argue with each-other with-"

"Shut the hell up, bitch!" The blond yelled. Nanami was surprised at how quickly this arguing excelled after everyone was just talking about throwing a party...and the blond-haired girl's foul mouth...

"Wha-I'm sorry!" The black-haired girl apologized as she began to cry.

"You don't call her a bitch!" The boy yelled. "That's _my_ job!"

"No, your job is being a baby-face wimp!" The blond yelled.

"What-?" The boy began to growl as everyone took a step back. "What did you call me...?"

"A baby-face wimp!" The girl repeated.

The boy sent her a death glare which actually looked intimidating as he rolled up his sleeves. "You are going down, bitch!"

"Do it! Baby-face!" The girl pushed.

A young woman with silver hair in two braids step in between the two smaller students. The boy stopped immediately.

"Peko-!"

The girl looked from the girl to the boy and continued that for a while until she spoke up. "Excuse me for interrupting, but I believe that you two should cease this petty bickering at once...you only have one first impression per person and that was it. It takes a long time to build up trust and it's easy to break...so please, stop before I have to use force..."

The boy just sighed. "Whatever..." He said and walked off without another word.

The woman walked over to Nanami carefully and bowed. "I apologize for that display..." She said.

"It's okay..." Nanami replied.

"My name is Pekoyama Peko...I'm the school's swordswoman...I hope that I didn't make a bad impression for my rudeness as well..." Pekoyama introduced.

"No, it's fine." Nanami noticed that the girl in the kimono had walked off next to the photographer talking. She most likely got bored of killing ants...

"Those two bicker like children over a toy..." Pekoyama said. "The girl in the kimono in our Super Duper High-School Level Traditional Dancer – Saionji Hiyoko...She is definitely not what you expect at a first glance..."

Nanami nodded. "And who was the boy...?" She asked.

Pekoyama seemed to get a sparkle in her eye as she answered. "He is the Super Duper High-School Level Yakuza...his name is Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko...just promise you don't do anything hasty..."

"...Okay..." Nanami replied.

"But also...be kind to him...if he looks lonely, he most likely is and wants to talk to someone..." Pekoyama explained.

"Sure thing." Nanami said.

"U-Um..." A soft voice behind Nanami stuttered. Nanami turned around to see the girl who was crying earlier. "M-My name is T-Tsumiki Mikan...I'm the S-Super Duper High-School L-Level Nurse...please don't...hate...me...!"

"Well," Nanami began until she was cut off by the girl crying.

"I hate myself...!" The girl cried.

Nanami became worried. She wasn't good with people crying...so, she just had to ask the question.

"What's wrong...?"

"I-I-I...I messed up...m-my-my introduction...!" Tsumiki explained, still crying.

Nanami sighed. She didn't like seeing people crying, but this is where she usually messes up in her games. But something is off...

"Tsumiki," Nanami began.

"Y-Yes...?" Tsumiki asked.

"Aren't there supposed to be more people in this class...?" Nanami questioned.

"W-Well, two others _are_ supposed to be here..." Tsumiki answered as she fiddled with her fingers. "But, one of them are always somewhere else in the school...b-but he's always a different person, s-so..."

"Different person...?" Nanami asked.

"What she means is that they are an imposter..." Komaeda continued as he walked up to the two.

"What do you mean 'imposter'?" Nanami asked.

"That's his talent...they can impose as anyone...they mostly study by themself somewhere else..." Komaeda explained.

"What about the other student...?" Nanami asked.

Komaeda shook his head. "No one knows...people are saying that he died..."

Nanami's eyes widened. Someone dying at that age...it made her chest hurt...

"He was here for a few days and vanished..." Komaeda said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't say any of this...I really hate the mention of death...there's a chance he could've just moved to another school! I'm making this sound like a mystery anime..."

Nanami tried to let it go through the day, but she knew that there was more to the story...perhaps, Komaeda didn't actually know much more than she did, but the mention of death in a school is frightening...she would probably talk to Fujisaki about it later...

As the day progressed, she noticed Souda was actually listening in class, which surprised her, but he looked as if he couldn't wait to get out of school.

As soon as the final bell rang Souda ran out, even though he said that he was going to wait for both her and Fujisaki and they could walk back together. Nanami just shrugged it off and guessed that he would wait outside for them.

When she walked out, Nanami spotted Fujisaki patiently waiting just outside the school for her. Nanami smiled and made her way over as Fujisaki noticed her.

"Hey, Chiaki," Fujisaki said with a smile. "So, how was it today...?"

Nanami thought about it for a moment. "Well, some of the people in my class are a little energetic, but they're also nice people...I think..." She answered as she folded her arms.

Fujisaki nodded. "Well, as long as you had fun...well, we better get going..."

Nanami tilted her head in confusion. "What about Souda...? Isn't he walking back with us...?"

Fujisaki frowned as he looked down at the ground. "He said that he had some important stuff to work on back at the shop...though, I'm not sure if that's the case or not..."

Nanami blinked as she also gave a frown. She thought that Souda would've been over it by now...he normally would've been...she thought that she had worked Souda out by this point in time, but she figured that she made a mistake in trying to read him...

"Well, let's just see what he's doing when we get back to the shop." Nanami suggested as the two began walking.

Fujisaki continued to stare at the ground for a moment until he looked back up at Nanami. He stared, trying to figure out what was going on. He just hoped that nothing happened between the two...after all, Souda had promised not to do anything stupid and ruin Nanami's day.

He thought about asking about it, but figured that it wouldn't do any good. In the end, he decided to just leave it be and hoped that the problem worked itself out eventually – hopefully, that 'eventually' would be pretty soon. He wasn't too good with two close friends arguing with each-other. That happened enough at the beginning of the year with Oowada and Ishimaru...

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Yes! It's done at last! I was so excited to write this after I got so many reviews on the prologue and just went a little crazy with the word count...! But, maybe I'll aim for all chapters to be this long to get me back into the writing muse...**

 **It was so much fun to write all of the different characters! I think that out of all of the characters, Tanaka-San was the most fun to write! Oh! And Kuzuryuu of course! And for some reason, it was easy to write Hanamura...heh, me and my strange mind...**

 **Now, I know that Hinata isn't here yet, but he should be in here by the next chapter! If not, the chapter after that!**

 **Tell me how I could improve or just how you feel so far by reviewing! It's easy! If I could get such a large response like in the last chapter that would be great!**

 **And to the reviewers from the first chapter, I'll quickly summarize the answers for your questions and comments here:**

 **Thank you for telling me about the characters! I was so happy to know that Souda was written well! Though, he might act out of character some parts throughout the story because of Nanami. You guys also seem to like the idea of this, so that was great! And this IS going to be a Nanami/Hinata story. It might not have seemed that way at first, but those three are just friends...and to Luckenhaft, thanks for making me laugh from your review! Glad to know that you also watch NicoB and those Hope Bagels!**

 **Also thanks to the people who gave this story a favourite and a follow. Just remember to keep on doing that and to also review, as they give me motivation to update faster and work harder on the chapters!**

 **(Geez, could I have made these notes any longer...?)**


	3. Beginning

**I am not a Robot:**

* * *

 _Chapter 2: Beginning_

* * *

When Nanami and Fujisaki walked into the shop, they noticed Souda fiddling around with something. He mostly did this when he was upset...he would pull something apart and try to put it back together, though it didn't look as though it was going well...

"Um, Souda-kun...are you okay...?" Fujisaki asked in concern.

Souda grunted as he tried to fit one thing into another on whatever he had disassembled. He had most likely pulled it apart into too many pieces and can't figure out what goes where. "I'm... _fine_...!" He said, still grunting.

Fujisaki walked towards him. "Are you sure...you look-"

"I said I'm _fine_!" Souda repeated as he continued to fiddle. Fujisaki just stopped where he was at and stared at the ground, tears threatening to appear from his eyes. Souda would barely yell at Fujisaki, and when he did, it would be an accident and he would apologize right away. But the mechanic was probably in an incredibly foul mood.

"Souda, is this about-?" Nanami began until she was cut off.

"I don't know, _Nanami_! Why don't you go ask that goddamn psychopath that you seem to like more than me?" Souda said rather loudly. Nanami's eyes narrowed. He couldn't be serious...

When she noticed that Souda was going back to ignoring her and Fujisaki, she knew that he _was_ being serious...and it was weird – she admitted – for him to call her _Nanami_ again. He hadn't stopped calling her by her first name since...well, since she got her body...

Nanami sighed. "I suppose I'll leave you alone until you get over it..." She said, waiting for a reply. All she got was another grunt. She shook her head slowly.

Fujisaki looked back and forth between the two. He hated this. He didn't want them fighting over what seemed to be her making new friends. Fujisaki knew though that Nanami didn't do anything wrong. Just by hearing the awkward conversation between the two just then, Nanami just made a friend, and Souda is either being over-protective or he's just jealous. If things continued, he would have to do something about it.

"Well, I guess I'll just...do my homework..." Nanami said with a yawn. She then walked off to the garage and did just as she said she would do. It was difficult to stay awake through it, but she did her best to finish. She guessed that she would have to wait until tomorrow...

* * *

The next day wasn't all that much better with Souda. He left early again. He didn't even try waking her up that morning, so she would've been late if Fujisaki hadn't called. She didn't understand why he was making a big issue out of nothing...

It seemed as if Komaeda noticed Souda's odd behaviour too. After class he approached Nanami.

"Nanami-san...are you and Souda okay...?" He asked curiously.

Nanami glanced at Souda who was glaring daggers at the two of them. Nanami pursed her lips together for a firm frown. Souda noticed this and quickly looked away. Nanami shook her head and looked back at Komaeda.

"We're fine...Souda's just going through-"

"You don't have to lie, Nanami-san." Komaeda interrupted with a nervous smile. "I know that Souda isn't pleased to have someone like me with you, and that's okay...I mean, it's understandable..."

Nanami blinked. She was just told by Komaeda that he was okay with Souda not liking him...she didn't know exactly what to say. This whole situation was just getting confusing...

"I don't think that just because Souda doesn't like you, doesn't mean that I shouldn't try to get to know you." Nanami replied. "I heard the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover'. Does that apply to this situation...?"

Komaeda blinked and smiled. "Well, I suppose so...but, if something should happen...well, it might not happen...so, I guess it doesn't matter..."

Nanami nodded with a small smile. "But, there is one little favour..." Komaeda added.

"I would appreciate if you would be able to-"

Komaeda stopped mid-sentence when he got a tap on the shoulder. Nanami tilted her head slightly as Komaeda turned around.

' _Oh no...'_ She thought to herself.

Souda, to put it bluntly, looked pissed. It looked as if he was about to knock the white-haired boy into next week.

"You aren't getting her to do anything...!" He told Komaeda coldly. "Something bad always happens when you're involved, and you aren't getting her roped up in one of your messes...!"

Komaeda stared at the ground with a small sigh. "I somehow knew that this would happen...well, I guess if it is such a problem, I won't-"

"Souda," Nanami began, getting the mechanic's attention. "I don't think that's fair..."

"Does it look like I give a damn if it's fair or not?" The mechanic yelled. "It's for your safety, Chi-!"

Nanami shook her head. "I thought you weren't talking to me...though, I do think both Komaeda and I deserve an apology if you're planning on 'protecting' me."

Souda narrowed his eyebrows. He looked back and forth between Komaeda and Nanami and sighed. Nanami thought for a moment that he was going to actually stop being stubborn and apologize, but instead he just walked away. Nanami stared at him in disappointment. He was being more than stubborn at this point...she looked back up at Komaeda.

"I'm sorry about Souda..." She told him. Komaeda stared at her for a moment and laughed.

"It's fine...it's not like I'm hurt by words or anything. I'm more concerned about you, Nanami-san..." He said honestly.

Nanami smiled again. "It's okay...we can make up..." She replied. "So, what was the favour...?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really..." Komaeda answered. "I was just wondering if you would be able to come to the unused school building next to this one. It should have a sign next to it saying 'Reserve'. Go in there and meet me."

"Um...sure, but why...?" Nanami asked.

"Well, let's just say it has something to do with that missing student..." Komaeda answered. "We'll call it a test of courage..."

Nanami thought about it for a moment. "Well, if you really want me to, I don't have any objections...I think..."

"Thank you, Nanami-san! I appreciate it...just make sure you don't get cold feet..." Komaeda said jokingly.

The rest of the day from that point on went pretty slowly. Nanami guessed that it was just one of those moments when there was something going on later on, the day seems to go for longer than normal...she occasionally glanced back at the mechanic, who just shook his head at her, disapprovingly. She wondered what must've happened to cause him to hate Komaeda so much...

Finally, once the school day ended, Nanami stood up and looked at Souda. He just stared at her for a moment before looking at the ground.

"Chiaki, please...?" He asked, obviously concerned.

Nanami blinked before letting out a soft sigh. "But, you and Chihiro taught me to always keep my promises...either way; I won't be able to-"

"Yeah..." Souda sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "I figured that you would say that...just, don't be too long...and if something happens, come back, okay...?"

Nanami stared at him for a while. She had figured that he is on the road to forgiving her, maybe...or, maybe he's just being overprotective again...? Either way, he was talking to her again, and that was a good start. She smiled.

"Of course," She replied. "Would you tell Chihiro that I'll be back later...?"

Souda put his hands in his pockets as he let out an exasperated sigh. "I guess so..." He answered.

"Thank you, Souda." Nanami thanked with a slight bow. "I'm going now, Komaeda has already left."

Although Nanami noticed Souda rolling his eyes, he nodded and the two of them went in their different directions.

* * *

It was normally difficult to tell what Nanami was feeling. But, even now, she herself didn't know what to feel. It was...odd. The building was definitely the one that Komaeda was talking about. The word 'Reserve' was printed on a sign just outside. It also looked like what she would see in her horror games – though, Souda insists on her not playing them – with the creepy look it had...

She considered for a moment of going back home and just tell Komaeda that she wasn't feeling well. But that wasn't like her. She believed that everyone had a role to play, and she knew that hers wasn't to lie to someone who had been nothing but nice to her just because of a small chill up her spine...

Nanami walked into the building, everything was dark, though, not too dark that she couldn't see anything...the hallways weren't clean, but they weren't all that messy either. They simply had a few holes here and there. She stepped lightly as she looked around. This 'test of courage' that Komaeda proposed sounded just like a game. So, naturally, she would have to look around to see if there was anything that could possibly be of use. She had to find the Luckster though. He had probably been in this place a dozen times over and knew his way inside and out. It was probably a practical joke though...Nanami knew that high schoolers still played jokes on their peers. Though, Komaeda didn't seem to be joking when he asked her to come...

The rooms that she had walked past weren't a pleasant sight either...it was hard to explain, but...there were stains left on the walls, floor and equipment...they looked as if someone had tried their best to wash them away, but were unable to finish the job. Nanami shook her head at the possibility of it being something gruesome. But the more she looked, the more it looked like...

 _...Blood...?_

She kept walking, trying to get the rooms out of her mind. She understood why Komaeda decided to call it a 'test of courage'. It wasn't that she was scared – just a little uncomfortable. Who knew what Fujisaki and Souda were doing and thinking...

At some points, she expected at least a ghost or something like that to show. You know, something supernatural. Every good horror game she played had supernatural beings involved – with a few exceptions of course – but reminded herself to not relate the situation to a game.

The remaining rooms were the same. The same darkness and the same stains were there. She wondered if Komaeda actually turned up.

She let out a small yawn. She didn't even know how long she had been searching for him...it was bad enough that she had to get used to where everything was and how many stains there were, but she also has to put up with this!

Souda once said that it's something like...getting stood up...? At least, she thought that was what he said...she had been busy playing game demos at the time...and she didn't feel like hearing another one of his stories about his one-sided love.

She shrugged and just decided to leave. She figured that Komaeda didn't mean to do it...something must've just come up...but before she did, she came across room with a closed door. The writing on above the door was dusty and with her height, she wouldn't be able to wipe it away, so she wasn't sure if it was a classroom or an office or something else like that.

She took in a small breath as she decided if it was a good idea to do this. Most likely, she would be disappointed to just see dust and more of those stains again.

On the other hand, Komaeda could be in there waiting...she decided to practically take a leap of faith when she carefully and quietly opened the door. To her surprise, the room was...decent looking...at least in this room, things were arranged neatly. Shelves full of books, boxes of games and other such objects...she decided to take a quick peek through the box – for the games. As she looked, she noticed how good the condition of the items were. Even the boxes looked as if no one had even touched them – new looking.

"Why this room...?" She asked softly. "It looks as if someone has been...taking care of it..." She put the board game in her hands back into the box and made her way over to the shelves packed with books. There were so many titles and genres. Fantasy, Mystery, Adventure...practically everything you could think of. Even some recently released books were among them.

She thought for a moment that Komaeda could've been responsible for this. She guessed that he could've visited for some peace or entertainment. But she thought that it was a little strange. There was a recreation room in Hopes Peak, wasn't there...? Sure, quite a few students would go there, but there's enough room for everyone, right...?

Without even thinking, she picked a random book off the shelf and stared at the cover. By the looks of it, it was a mystery novel...also looking as if it were just bought from the store...

"It has a predictable ending, you know..." A voice said from behind her. She slowly turned around and saw...well, she didn't know who it was...it certainly wasn't Komaeda Nagito. It was like his opposite. The man wore a suit, like he was going to a business meeting or something. He had long, black hair that looked as if it was looked after well. Although the hair was probably a little too long...but, what caught Nanami's attention more than anything was the pair of crimson eyes that stared at her. It was like he could see through her. She wondered if they were his natural colour...

It took her a moment before she could finally respond. Sure, a lot of the time, it would take her a while to think of something to say, but this time it took her even longer since that's the way the man apparently greeted people.

"How do you figure that?" She asked. She was curious to see what the man's personality was like. She didn't recognise him. And she knew for a fact that Fujisaki and Souda hadn't told her about him before...

The man took the book from Nanami's hands – though, not forcefully – and stared at the cover. "To find out what happens at the end of a book, film, or anything like that, you simply need to think of the genre..."

"..." Nanami stared at the man. She figured that he was that one pessimistic guy that every main character is friends with in her role-playing games. "...So, what you're saying is...that if it's romance, two of the characters will get together in the end, for example. And that in horror, there's a high chance of the characters dying...I get what your point is...I think..."

The man just put the book back into its place on the bookshelf and began to slowly pace to the other side of the room.

"So, I assume that you _do_ get it..." He stated in a monotone voice. "Think of how boring that is..."

"I guess I can get what you mean, but..." Nanami began, trying to find the right words in order to not tick the guy off. "I think that it's not just about the end of a story that matters, but what leads up to it is important as well..."

"Even though everything in between may just be as predictable and boring as the end...?" The man asked, still in a monotone voice.

Nanami pursed her lips together tightly. "Every work is different. I think if they're just given a chance, then maybe they'll be enjoyable..." She explained with a small smile appearing on her face.

"I see...another boring person..." The man muttered.

Nanami's rare smile faded at the man's comment. "So, what kind of character development did you see of me to come to that conclusion...?" She wasn't at all mad at the man, but merely curious in what he had to say. Sometimes, it just took the right options in order to unlock a person's trust and see their true character.

"I would have to say that you're one of those people who try to find the _'good'_ in everyone and in everything you see...would that be correct...?" The man asked as if he were being sarcastic.

"I believe it would be a good quality for someone to have..." Nanami replied.

The man didn't roll his eyes, groan or anything like that. He just blinked. And it wasn't with one of those confused expressions you would see. He just looked as if he was bored. It was that same expression that she saw on his face when she first saw him. Not even a hint that he was going to smile...

"Just as predictable as everything else..." He muttered.

Nanami walked closer towards him, but still a safe distance away. "...My name is Nanami Chiaki..." She told him.

The man spoke before Nanami could finish. "...I assume you have a reason for telling me this information..."

Nanami took another small step towards him. "...Yes, that is because I would like to know your name as well. I want to be able to refer to you as something..."

"I don't care what you refer to me as..." The man answered. "It's not like we'll be seeing each other after this meeting..."

Nanami tilted her head in confusion. "What makes you so sure...?" She asked. "It's not like I said I'm not coming back...it's small hints like these that help you beat the game..."

"..." The man did not say anything to this. Nanami felt as if _she_ was being played by this guy...it was like he wanted some sort of reaction out of her. All she did though, was puff out her cheeks. If she had to write down the top ten most awkward moments of her school life, she would have to put this moment somewhere on that list.

"...How about I give you a name if you're not going to tell me..." Nanami suggested. The man just sat down on a nearby chair with that same blank expression on his face.

Nanami folded her arms and placed a look of thought onto her face as she tried to think of something. But nothing really came to mind...

"Hm...I'm not that good of thinking of name's...usually, that's Chihiro's job..." Nanami mumbled to herself. Nanami looked up at the wall clock and noticed how late it was. Souda would probably call the FBI or CIA if she was gone for much longer.

"..." The man still didn't say anything to her. She would have to get him talking soon...

"Well...I think it's time that I get going..." Nanami told the man as she walked towards the door. "...Tomorrow, I should have something to call you..."

The man didn't reply and instead picked another book off the shelf and read the blurb. Nanami didn't think that she was going to get anything out of him, so instead, she just decided to leave. Once she was out of that room, she bumped into none other than Komaeda Nagito.

"Ah...Nanami-san...!" Komaeda greeted, slightly shocked. "I thought that you didn't show...I was just about to leave..."

Nanami stared up at the white-haired boy. "Same here," She replied. "Maybe we were both moving around so much that we missed each other..."

Komaeda nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that must be it...but, I still have to say that I'm surprised you stayed this long..."

"Well, I never gave up on a challenge before...this is just like a game to me..." Nanami replied.

Nanami and Komaeda began to make their way out of the building when Komaeda brought up the question...

"So, did you find anything, Nanami-san...?" He asked. "I mean, besides all of the empty rooms...?"

Nanami thought about it for a moment. She wondered if the man would be mad if she announced where he was to others.

"Well, I found a box of games..." Nanami replied. This way, she didn't lie...

Komaeda chuckled. "I'm guessing you're happy about that..."

"Yeah, I guess..." Nanami replied.

"So, are you telling me that you didn't get scared once...?" The boy asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nanami blinked. "Well, I will admit that I didn't feel comfortable, but it's not like I ran away crying or anything..."

"I kind of hoped that I would hear a little scream. I mean, you're so calm towards everything..." Komaeda admitted.

"So, what you're saying is that at the expense of me and a heart attack, you would get some laughs...?" Nanami asked with a slightly raised brow.

Komaeda shrugged his shoulders. "Something like that...nothing personal, though..."

"I can't tell if you're the nice guy or comic relief..." Nanami told him.

Komaeda blinked. "Can't I be both?"

The two began to chatter with each other until they had to go their separate ways in the street.

"Nanami-san, are you sure you don't want me to take you any further?" Komaeda asked in concern. "There are a lot of strange people on the streets..."

Nanami smiled. "I appreciate it, but from the time I've been at Hope's Peak, I can already see that there are many strange people in our class..."

"Good point." Komaeda said with a shrug. "Oh! Wait a second..."

Nanami watched as Komaeda took a piece of paper and a pen out of his pocket and began writing on it. She wasn't that concerned with what he was writing, she was just curious for how long and why he would have those things in his pocket for...

"Here!" Komaeda said as he passed the paper to Nanami. "That's my number in case you need any help. You can never be too careful anymore..."

Nanami read the numbers that were hastily written on the paper and folded the piece in half. "Okay..." She said with a nod.

Komaeda smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nanami-san!" And with that, he was gone.

It took Nanami some time to realize that she wouldn't be able to call Komaeda on the streets unless she went to a pay-phone. That is, if the creep on the street would just let her go in the booth to call someone and just wait outside. It was then that she thought that she might need Souda's and Fujisaki's help...

When she arrived at the shop, she was almost suffocated by the beast with the name of Souda.

"Chiaki, you were gone so long that I was just about to call the army!" He shouted.

"Sorry, Souda...I lost track of time..." Nanami replied.

Souda inspected her as if he was a detective searching a crime scene. "Well, you don't look hurt...I think...but there just so happens to be a _very_ suspicious piece of paper in your hand..." The mechanic observed.

"There's nothing suspicious about it, Souda...Komaeda just gave me his number...that's all..." Nanami replied.

Souda blinked once. Twice. Three times. "EH?" He screamed. "You two have already gone _that_ far...? I thought I could trust you, Chiaki..."

Nanami shook her head. "It's not like that, Souda...it's just in case something happens when you're not around..."

"I _knew_ it!" Souda screamed. "You two planning a make-out session?"

...

...Oh boy...

"...No, not like that either, Souda..." Nanami said. "It's just for safety purposes..."

Souda blinked. Once he got the point he laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, yeah...I-I figured that it was something like that..." He replied. Once he composed himself, he continued. "But you don't exactly have a phone...unless you call him from the home phone, but if someone broke in, the best action would be to call the police..."

Nanami just yawned as she began to feel tired. "I'm going to bed for the night...it's been a long day..." She informed as she began to walk away.

"Ah! By the way, are you going to tell me what happened or-?" Souda began until he noticed that Nanami just walked off, most likely too tired to talk anymore. "-what?" He finished.

* * *

Nanami never expected the school days to move by so quickly. It's almost like time is moving faster or something. She wondered if the phrase 'time flies when you're having fun' applied to the situation...

It was already the end to another school day. And everyone was still acting the same as usual...though; Nidai was talking about someone who was skipping their baseball practice or something along those lines. Nanami just shrugged it off.

"Ah, Nanami-san..." Komaeda said as he walked up to her. "I'm sorry that I haven't talked to you sooner...I'm glad that you made it home safely...!"

Nanami glanced over at the mechanic who was talking to the princess. "Well, Souda would've called every military in the country if I didn't show...so, he would've eventually found me..."

Komaeda smiled. "It must be nice to have someone who looks after you that much." Nanami looked back at the lucky student, unsure of what to say to that. Luckily, Komaeda changed the subject by himself. "So, have you got any plans...?"

Nanami blinked. "Well, I guess...were you planning on having another game...?" She asked curiously.

Komaeda laughed. "Unfortunately, there weren't any spookier places than yesterday, so, no..." He answered. "I was just curious..."

"Yeah...I suppose so..." Nanami continued.

"Chiaki, are you coming?" Souda called from the classroom door.

Nanami smiled at Komaeda. "I better get going..." She told him.

"Good luck with your plans..." Komaeda joked. Nanami nodded and walked over to Souda.

"Souda," She began. "I will be late again today, so would you mind-?"

"You want to hang out with someone again?" Souda asked as he folded his arms and stared at her in suspicion. "You better not hang out with a loony..."

Nanami shook her head. "He is okay, Souda..." She informed. "I wouldn't call him a _loony_..."

Souda rubbed his temples. "Why is it always dudes...?" He muttered. "Okay, just get back to the shop in an hour..."

Nanami smiled at him. "Thank you, Souda." She said as she began to walk to the other building. Ever since she and Souda had begun to talk after their argument, Souda had been giving her a shot at doing her own thing. She knew that Souda was still worried and was against it, but she really appreciated that he was stopping his own judgement from getting in the way of what she wants to do...it was a big ask, and yet, he still managed...

Once she made it back to the building from yesterday, she made her way through what seemed like a maze. But still, she managed to find the room with the same box of games in the same place.

She quietly walked into the room and sat down on the floor as she waited for the man to arrive. Even though it was quiet, it probably wouldn't make much of a noise difference even if the man was there.

She pulled a portable console out of her pink and white bag and begun to play. She only had a few more levels to complete the game, so there was no point in just procrastinating. Though, after a while, she wondered if the man from yesterday would even show. She suspected that he would just stay in the same room, like an NPC. She promised Souda that she would be back earlier, but she also promised the man that she would see him again. He just seemed like a lonely guy, is all...

She sighed as she stared at the wall clock, watching the red hand slowly tick. She was just about to pack up and leave when she saw the man sitting on a chair, reading a book. She blinked, wondering how she didn't notice him there before.

Nanami stood up, with her console still in her hands and walked over to the man. She just stood in front of him for a while until he acknowledged her existence.

"Do you need something, or are you just here to stare at me...?" The man asked, not taking his eyes off of the book to look at her.

"I told you that I would come back with something to call you, didn't I?" Nanami asked before tilting her head. "Or, are you going to tell me what your name is...?"

The man didn't reply. At this point, she would get a better conversation out of a brick wall...or Tanaka...

"Well, maybe you are challenging me..." Nanami said before sitting down in a chair next to the man. "It's sort of like a quest. I have to earn your trust so then you are willing to talk to me...I think..."

The man looked at Nanami from the corner of his eye. "Think what you want..." He said with a barely audible sigh.

"Oh...that reminds me...I need to call you something..." Nanami reminded herself. She thought about a name for a while until she finally thought of something that he might like. "Well, I was playing a game and one of the characters had the name Hajime. After some research, I found out that it means 'beginning'. I think it suits you nicely...it will remind us both of how we met each other..." She explained.

The man closed the book as he also closed his eyes. "That is both cheesy and boring..." He stated. He then looked back at Nanami. "...But, I suppose it will do for now..."

Nanami was secretly happy with herself that she chose a name that was to his liking. Also, with that statement he made, he implied that they would meet again. So, maybe it meant that he didn't like living in solitude as much as he made out to.

"I'm glad, Hajime..." Nanami said with a small smile planted on her face.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So, the third chapter is finally done. It took forever. I was just sort of staring at the screen, hoping for it to write itself, but that didn't work...**

 **So, as for the other excuses why this took so long...well, I went to Supanova. It's a convention. It was my third time going to one and it was pretty cool. Even though I lost a Jack Frost charm...I was sad...but, I cosplayed Chiaki and that was super fun. I was disappointed that there was no dangan ronpa merchandise. Holy cow, is it so much to ask for one Leon or Souda plush?**

 **Thanks to ComplicatedMystery, ThisIsMyUsername89935, the Guest and OathKeeper16 for their reviews. I really appreciate it!**

 **Note for last chapter: So, apparently, FF decided to take out some of the stuff out of the last chapter. When Saionji was squashing ants, they took out Mr. Ants...nani? Do you guys know if I edit that back in and replace the chapter if my reviews would be taken out? Because sometimes in life, I need to re-read my reviews...so, it would be appreciated if you can let me know what happens...**


	4. Crazy Shards

**I am not a Robot:**

 _Chapter three: Crazy Shards_

* * *

The trio, consisting of Nanami, Souda and Fujisaki, were currently walking to school. Nanami and Souda would both occasionally let out small yawns, but Fujisaki didn't even let out one. He just kept a smile on his face.

Nanami still hadn't told them about Hajime, mainly because she didn't know how they would react. What could she say? 'Hey, I just thought I'd let you guys know that I'm going to be hanging out with someone who represents most villains! I hope you're okay with that!'? Somehow, she didn't see that going so well, especially with the mechanic. She didn't want him to act so overprotective again after they had just discussed and made up.

She glanced at Fujisaki from the corner of her eye. How would he react? Well, he would probably worry a little, but will eventually relax if he met Hajime.

Fujisaki wasn't really one to judge people just because of their looks or what people might say about them. After all, he was friends with a gang leader! What was his name again...? Osaka? No, that's the name of a city in Japan...

As if on cue, Fujisaki began to speak. "Oh, by the way, Nanami. I'll have to introduce you to my friends...I've been talking to Oowada, and he seems interested in meeting you."

Oowada, of course!

"Is that so?" Nanami asked. She was kind of interested in meeting him too. So, I guess you could say that they have something in common...? Maybe...?

Fujisaki nodded. "But, he needs some repairs on his bike. So, I told him that Souda-kun would be able to fix it up today..." He continued. Souda, who seemed to be in a daze, suddenly snapped out of it and stared at Fujisaki with fear in his eyes.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-" Souda sputtered. He was _that_ scared that he couldn't even speak properly. "You did _what_ now?" He yelled. Fujisaki flinched from the tone in his voice.

"But, Souda-kun, I thought that you needed some business in the shop..." Fujisaki replied with the utmost honesty.

"Yeah! But I'm not as desperate as _that_! If I mess it up, I could lose an arm!" Souda told him and began muttering to himself. Nanami could hear something along the lines of 'oh shit' repeated.

Fujisaki sighed. "He wouldn't do that to you, Souda-kun. He's not like that. He's a very nice person..."

Nanami wasn't getting that far with the information that the two of her friends exchanged. They were saying things that were the exact opposite of each-other. Souda had a tendency of over-reacting and Fujisaki had a habit of being too nice to people. To be honest, it kind of hurt her head when she tried to think about it.

By the time they had gotten to school, they said goodbye to Fujisaki and Souda had calmed down...well, a little at least.

"Is he really that scary?" Nanami asked curiously as she tilted her head slightly.

Souda vigorously nodded.

Nanami blinked. "But, Fujisaki seems to like him...so, what's the problem...?" She asked innocently.

"You mean to tell me Nanami-chan hasn't heard the stories...?" A dramatic voice said from behind the two, Souda squeaking in surprise. When they turned around, they saw none other than Mioda, flicking a flashlight off and on over and over again with a large smile glued onto her face. "Then, allow Ibuki to tell you!" She said as she pushed the two into the classroom and rearranged three tables so then two desks were next to each-other and the other was on its' own, facing the other two. She sat Nanami and Souda in the seats next to each-other, while she sat in the lonely chair.

"How do you even know who we're talking about?" Souda asked in confusion.

Mioda giggled mischievously. "Ibuki likes to follow people! So, she decided to follow you guys today!" She announced.

"Creepy!" Souda yelled.

Nanami just stared at her. "I have to say, you have some interesting hobbies, Mioda...but, how often do you follow people?"

Mioda had a look of thought on her face before smiling. "Enough to know a few different things about others! Like when Ibuki snuck into Tanaka-chan's house and saw how many animals there were! Ibuki was going to get some juicy secrets, but they are too intense and spooky!"

"You got caught, didn't you?" Souda asked, nonchalantly.

"Aw...why does Souda-chan have to be so rude...?" Mioda asked in disappointment.

"Anyway, back onto topic..." Nanami said with a small sigh. "What is it you were going to say about Oowada...?"

"Oh! Oh! Yeah! Ibuki almost forgot!" Mioda thought out loud. "Rumours say that he walked up to a guy this one time. Oowada asked him if rats or dogs were better, but the guy made the wrong choice and said, rats! Oowada was angry and ripped the guy's arms right out of their sockets! Pleh! Quiisshh! Blehuh!" Mioda explained dramatically as she made sound effects.

Nanami and Souda looked at each-other for a moment, blinked, and looked back at the musician.

"Huh. I'm suddenly less scared of the guy now..." Souda said. "And wasn't it 'cats or dogs'...?"

Mioda stopped making sound effects and stared at Souda. "That's what Ibuki said!"

Souda shook his head. "No, you didn't."

Mioda scratched the top of her head. "What did Ibuki say...?" She asked.

"Rats and dogs." Souda answered as he began to rearrange the desks back to normal.

"Huh." Mioda said. "Well, small mistake!" And with that she left, trying to scare people with her flashlight.

Nanami sighed. "Somehow, I thought that it would end up like that. I'm not having much luck in finding out what he's like."

Souda blinked. "Why don't you wait until he comes over with his bike this afternoon...?" He asked, genuinely confused.

Nanami stared at him with a disapproving look. "Souda, if the other kingdom had a secret weapon, would you gather information or stay and wait for them to ambush your kingdom...?" She asked.

"Honestly, I would run away. Far, far away from any ambush...can that be one of the options...?" Souda replied. Nanami thought that he was referring to the afternoon bike repair...

"I guess it can't be helped...I suppose..." Nanami said with a small sigh. "I feel like Yosuke wanting to meet Rise..."

Souda raised his brow, not knowing who the hell Nanami was referring to, but shrugged it off. "If you really want to know what he's like so badly, just join Fujisaki for lunch. He normally sits with Oowada, so it won't be that hard."

"But what if they are having an important conversation? I wouldn't want to impose..." Nanami told the mechanic.

Souda began to fiddle with his braid, something he did when he was in deep thought, frustrated, nervous or any emotion like that. "Okay, then maybe if you talk to one of his other friends? I hear him talk about the Hall Monitor a lot...what was it? Ichiraku? No! Ishi...Ishimaru, that's it! He normally stays in the classroom during lunch unless he is doing 'important business' or something like that..."

Nanami thought about it for a moment. "Well, if I'm not interrupting him and a friend, I guess it's okay..."

She was glad that Souda was helping her. This wasn't like the situation with Komaeda. He wasn't being _so_ overprotective about it. The two of them said that they would try not to over-react as much anymore, so he was being so much more helpful...

Suddenly, Souda stopped fiddling with his braid and looked as if he had just remembered something. "Oh, Chiaki! You never told me what happened when-"

"Take your seats everyone!" The teacher said as he walked in, interrupting Souda, who was grumbling. Nanami blinked. Oh well, she'll just ask him later...if she remembers...

* * *

It was like a cycle repeating itself...class starts and stops quickly. Nanami began to wonder how everyone else could live in the seemingly endless cycle.

One thing she noticed, though, was how quickly Komaeda left. She didn't even have time to say hello to him. Honestly, sometimes she couldn't understand some people...

She just decided to shrug it off; after all, she had someone to see. Speaking of which, though, she didn't see Nidai. She wondered why everyone was off in such a hurry.

"KUWATA! YOU NEED TO GO TO PRACTICE!" That was definitely Nidai's loud voice.

Nanami poked her head out the door and saw Nidai trying to give a spirit speech to a tall teenager with flaming red hair, many piercings, punk clothes and one hell of a goatee. She would remember that to identify him.

The boy – Kuwata, she presumed – simply smirked.

"THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER! YOU NEED SOME RUNNING TRAINING!" Nidai added.

"Sorry Coach, I got to meet Maizono for lessons! If you want me to train, you have to catch me first!" And with that the kid began running off.

Nanami noticed Oowari jump out next to Nidai as she cracked her knuckles. "Let's give him a run for his money, Old Man Nidai!" She said enthusiastically. And with that, they began to chase the boy. Like fast hedgehogs...that were larger...this sounds just like a popular game she played...

But there was a problem with Kuwata's logic. He was technically training by running away from Nidai and Oowari so then he didn't have to train. Therefore, he was training...see the problem...?

She got the feeling that she would see a lot more displays just like this one, but decided to keep going. She remembered which room that held the members of Fujisaki's class. She was told many times by the programmer, just in case she couldn't find Souda for whatever reason...

Nanami finally made it to the classroom, where Ichiraku-no goddamn it-Ishimaru was – well, who she assumed was him, at least. He was silently reading a small book by himself. As she stepped into the room, she noticed how he quickly she had been seen from the corner of the boy's eye.

"Excuse me," She began. "I think...you are Ishimaru Kiyotaka, would that be right...?"

Ishimaru closed his book, set it on the desk and stood up in front of Nanami. "That is correct. And that would make you Nanami Chiaki, correct?"

Nanami nodded. Ishimaru suddenly smiled at her. "Well, you look just as Fujisaki described you! You seem like a fine young lady...indeed. Though, you haven't got any tattoos underneath, do you?"

Nanami shook her head. "Nope. Fujisaki told me it would hurt. A lot. So, I think I won't get any...is that bad...?"

Ishimaru's smile grew even further. "As I suspected! You _are_ someone with common sense! Surely, someone your age has no need for tattoos. Nanami, please, call me Taka!"

Nanami tilted her head. Already a nickname from this 'Taka' guy? Well, she guessed that it would be the first nickname that she ever gave someone.

"Okay, Taka..." Nanami replied.

"So, what did you need, Nanami?" Ishimaru asked politely. Nanami already has a clear picture of what Ishimaru is like just within the minute that she met him. Nanami had to admit, he was definitely a nice person.

"I was wondering what your thoughts are of a person in your class named Oowada." Nanami replied.

Ishimaru thought about it for a moment. "Well, he is...sort of a delinquent..." He stated. "Never completes homework, lazes around in class, late book returns on books that he never even reads!" He paused for a moment. "But, he is...also a close friend."

"So, you would deem him 'not scary'?" Nanami asked.

"Um...yes! He is 'not scary' indeed. Well, if you and him are close that is...and I guess we are close like brothers should be...though, I do wish that he would just for once do his homework." Ishimaru answered.

"Close like brothers...?" Nanami repeated.

"Yes...though, I know I could never replace..." Ishimaru trailed off.

"So, Taka...what is it...?" Nanami asked curiously, hoping that she wasn't being too nosy.

Suddenly, Ishimaru panicked and began to do something with his arms. In rectangular sort of shapes made with his arms and hands, he began chanting something. "Forget, forget, forget..." He pushed his arms out in front of himself, his hands shaping a triangle. "BEAM!"

Well, Nanami guessed that he didn't want to say anything about it. Though, it was a pretty clever way of getting off the subject. If someone didn't get the main message, they would be too confused about what their eyes just witnessed to remember what they were even talking about. Plus, it was catchy.

"The Forget Beam, I like it!" Nanami said with a small smile, pretending to forget the subject. "Well, I have to get going now, Taka. I don't want to be late. This school is so big, I get lost sometimes. But I would like to talk to you again sometime."

"Happy to be of service, Nanami." Ishimaru stated proudly. "Make sure to always do your best in school, otherwise you won't get anywhere!"

Nanami nodded with a small smile. "Same to you."

After saying their goodbyes, Nanami was making her way to her classroom. Though, as she was at the bottom of a staircase, she heard a yelp and then, quicker than she could react, she was knocked down onto her stomach, the thing that fell on her still on top of her, but quickly moving off.

"I'm so sorry! I tripped!" The voice said. "Are you okay?"

Nanami just stood up and brushed a little dust that lingered on her skirt off and nodded at the boy in front of her.

"Thank goodness! I thought I knocked you out!" The boy said with a sigh of relief. The thing that stood out most to her was the hair on top of his head. It was like it defied the laws of physics! It was standing up! And there didn't seem to be any hair gel or spray in his hair either...Nanami wondered how it worked...

"Is that hair copyrighted?" She asked. "Do you own rights to it...?"

"Um...I don't think so...?" The boy said in thought.

"Are you okay, Naegi?" A new voice – a female voice – said from at the top of the stairs. The two looked up to see a girl with long blue hair and matching eyes making her way down, skipping the last step. "Oh no! Naegi, did you fall on her...?"

Naegi looked down at his feet. "I really am sorry..." He mumbled.

Nanami shook her head. "No. It's fine. I'm not hurt..." She looked at the blue-haired girl. For some reason, she felt like she had seen her somewhere before...

"Well, maybe you have!" The girl said with a smile. Nanami tilted her head. How did she do that, she wondered. "It's quite simple, I'm an esper...!"

"You are...?" Nanami asked. "I didn't know we had an esper."

"That's because we don't." Naegi told her. "Maizono-san just has really good intuition..."

"Aw...you spoiled my fun, Naegi..." Maizono said with a small pout.

"Hm..." Nanami hummed out loud. "You are both in Fujisaki's class, right?"

The two looked at each-other and then back to Nanami.

"Ah! So, you're Fujisaki's cousin, right?" Maizono asked. "You two look so much alike, I can't believe I didn't see the resemblance before! Maybe it's the hair..."

"It's great to finally meet you, Nanami." Naegi said, smiling.

Finally, a thought popped into Nanami's head. "Would you two be looking for someone named Kuwata?" She asked.

Maizono gasped dramatically. "Maybe _you're_ the esper, Nanami! I was totally thinking that!"

"How did you know, if you don't mind me asking?" Naegi asked.

"Well, he said that he was going to meet with someone named Maizono, and I thought it was you. And he said that before he was chased by the two strongest people in my class..."

"Ah! He's trying to get out of training again!" Maizono said. "This happens a lot. We probably won't be able to find them at this point. They're just so darn fast..."

"Well, I'd run if I was being chased by someone triple my size..." Naegi admitted.

"This could take a while...we better just leave before we're dragged into it too...literally..." Maizono said with a slight shiver.

"We'll see you later, Nanami...and sorry for...falling on top of you earlier..." Naegi apologized. Nanami waved goodbye and finally made it back to the classroom after all of those encounters with Fujisaki's friends. She sighed and sat next to Souda.

"So, how did your quest go, brave warrior?" Souda said jokingly.

"I think it went well. I don't think that we have anything to worry about concerning Oowada..." Nanami replied truthfully.

Souda chuckled. "That's good. I'm glad." He paused. "Because my arms won't be ripped out from their sockets..."

Nanami smiled, though quickly looked up at the ceiling and gave a blank stare. She had a dilemma. She wanted to meet Oowada, but she wanted to see Hajime...

Maybe she would just give him a quick visit this time around...

"So, Chiaki..." Souda began. Nanami looked back at him. "I was wondering what-"

He was cut off again by the bell, and the teacher came back right on time. Souda felt like he was ready to mentally blow up the world with a mental missile.

Nanami knew that it wouldn't be good if Souda was cut off one more time. He was already looking unstable. She just wished that poor teacher good luck for the hospital.

* * *

"Souda," Nanami began. "I'll catch up with you later...I need to do something important..."

Souda blinked and folded his arms. "Didn't you want to meet Oowada really bad earlier...?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yeah...but I won't be long...besides, don't you need to be there before him...?" Nanami asked.

"Crap!" Souda yelled. "Okay fine! Just be back soon! And also, I wanted to ask-"

But Nanami had already left.

"I give up..." Souda mumbled in defeat.

* * *

Nanami walked into the room, where Hajime was sitting, reading a book. Nanami smiled and walked over to him.

"Why do you read books if they're predictable...?" Nanami asked curiously. She was met with a death glare.

"Because, you would be on my case otherwise..." Hajime replied.

"So, you took my advice...I'm glad..." Nanami said happily.

"I never said that, nor did I imply it..." Hajime told her.

Nanami brought her bag out in front of her and pulled out a few video games. "I won't be here for long, so I just thought I would give you these. You can decide what you want to play and I'll bring the console tomorrow..."

"They're all portable, so we don't need a T.V. Though, one of them is incredibly hard..." Nanami told him.

"I thought you were supposed to be good at these things..." Hajime muttered.

Nanami looked at the ground. "Well, it's not like I'm bad at games in general...just dating sims..." She mumbled.

Hajime sighed and looked at the games and showed it to Nanami. "Bring the console for this one tomorrow." He told her. It was like it was an order. She appreciated him looking through the games, but frowned at the choice. She brought one of every genre just in case, but she never expected him to pick a dating simulator game...

"Wouldn't you want something challenging...?" Nanami asked, tilting her head.

"This is considered 'challenging'. If I picked any other title, you would know all the ways to beat me. Therefore, I concluded that if I picked something that we are both evenly bad at, I might even stand a chance. This is why you don't talk too much about what you can and can't do..." Hajime explained.

Nanami sighed. "Fine...I'll bring it...at least this way; we can both learn..."She said. "You can keep those for now, if you want to. We'll play all of them eventually."

"Someone's in a hurry..." Hajime muttered.

"Well, there's a visitor I have to meet..." Nanami explained.

"I don't need the story...just come tomorrow...and don't come as late as you normally do...it's Sunday..." Hajime told her. Nanami smiled.

"I'm glad that you're looking forward to it..." She said. Hajime just rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'll be going now..." She told him. Hajime just nodded as she left. If she had to guess, she would have to say that he's opening up to her a little more than when she first met him.

It made her smile to think about it. Though, she had to wonder if he ever walked out of that building. Maybe he just happened to be inside when she arrived each time.

When she arrived at the shop, she noticed Souda working hard on a bike. She tilted her head, wondering if she missed out on seeing the gang leader.

"Souda," She began as she walked over to him curiously. The mechanic stopped what he was doing and smiled at her.

"Hey Chiaki!" He greeted happily. "You came back quick!"

Nanami shrugged. "Well, I wanted to meet Oowada...do you know where he is...?" She asked.

"Uh...he left...he's with Fujisaki..." Souda answered as Nanami gave him a disappointed look. Souda noticed this and continued. "But, he's coming back later this afternoon. You see, he promised that he would help Fujisaki with something...I don't know what, though...it's kind of fishy if you ask me..."

Nanami thought about it for a moment. She knew a lot of things about Fujisaki, even his exact height. But he never mentioned anything about what he and Oowada do together. "I wonder what they're doing..." She mumbled as Souda continued working on the motorcycle.

"Yeah...I mean, I don't know what Fujisaki would need help with...he is a pretty smart guy after all..." He mumbled in thought.

That's when an idea hit Nanami. "Well, I will agree that his intelligence is pretty high...but, don't you think that he needs some help with physical activities...?" She asked.

Souda thought about it for a moment. "Yeah...I actually help him out when it comes to moving boxes and stuff like that..." He said.

It was that moment that Nanami could confirm what Fujisaki and Oowada were doing together. She would have to thank the gang leader for what he's doing for Fujisaki when she meets him.

"Do you know when they'll be back...?" Nanami asked.

Souda shrugged. "Hopefully after I finish these repairs...I kind of don't want to piss the guy off and make him think that I'm lazy...but, I have to say, it's kind of an honour to work on a bike like this! It's a pretty sweet ride!" He said, now talking to himself. Nanami would never understand what Souda liked about bikes and other vehicles. To her, they were all the same...but, she wasn't a mechanic like Souda. Maybe it was just a mechanic thing...

She decided to play a game by herself while she waited, though, sometimes when Souda would get frustrated she would get distracted...

Finally, after what seemed to last for a life-time, the pair arrived. Nanami turned off her game and walked over to the front door to greet them. Fujisaki smiled at her.

"Hey Chiaki!" He greeted.

Nanami smiled. "Hello, Chihiro..." She looked up at the taller man beside her with hair that resembled a corn cob.

"Oh, Chiaki. This is Oowada." Fujisaki informed.

Nanami stared at him for a moment before holding her hand out. "Hello, Oowada." She said.

Oowada stared at the extended hand for a moment before gripping it firmly. "Yeah," He replied.

"Well, I've got to go ask Souda-kun to use the shower," Fujisaki began. "I shouldn't be too long..." And then he walked off to find Souda.

There was a small silence between the two. Nanami could tell that even Oowada was feeling a little awkward. "Do you want a drink?" She asked as an excuse to get them both moving.

"Ah...sure, I guess..." Oowada replied as they both made their way to the kitchen. Nanami looked around in the fridge, only to find that they forgot to go shopping. So that left them with no choice but to just drink some water. She grabbed two cups and filled them up with the clear liquid and handed one of the cups to Oowada, who mumbled a barely audible 'thanks'.

There was yet again another silence as Nanami studied Oowada. She had to admit, he looked a little intimidating. But, at least he had manners. She could understand why Fujisaki seems to like him.

"Oowada," She began, gaining the biker gang leader's attention. "Have you been helping Chihiro with 'working out'?"

Oowada blinked in surprise just as he was about to take a sip of the water. "How do you know?" He asked. "I mean, I know you're his cousin and all, but he never mentioned telling anyone..."

"Well, I took a guess..." Nanami admitted. "But also because Chihiro never takes a shower here. He normally goes back to his house for that..."

Oowada sighed. "Does your entire family have huge brains or some shit?" He asked. Nanami shrugged.

"Chihiro made the right choice in making you one of his friends...I think..." She said suddenly, causing Oowada's cheeks glow red.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He sputtered.

"Well, despite what some people say about you, you're a very kind person..." Nanami answered.

"Ah...you don't know what you're saying..." Oowada stated.

Nanami shook head. "Of course I do. I said that despite-"

"Okay! Okay! Don't say it again, alright?" Oowada interrupted.

Nanami blinked. "Why not?" She asked.

Oowada groaned. "I don't want to lose my credibility or nothing!"

"What? I don't understand...how does that happen just because I said you were kind-?" Nanami began until a hand covered her mouth and interrupted her.

"Keep quiet, alright? You don't know who's around!" Oowada told her before removing his hand from her mouth.

Nanami stared at him for a moment, a little confused. "Isn't it a compliment?" She asked.

"Sh...nobody's got to hear that!" Oowada whispered. "Someone might come in...!"

"I've been here for quite a while now...in all my time being here, I've learned that barely anyone comes here. The only ones that are here are you, me, Chihiro and Souda. I don't think you'll lose your 'credibility'." Nanami replied.

Oowada sighed. "Just don't go spreading rumours or some shit, you got that?"

Nanami shrugged. "Well, if it's really that big of a deal, I suppose I won't say anything..."

"Good." Oowada said.

At that moment, Souda walked up to them, wrench in one hand and wiping the sweat and grease off of his forehead with the other. "Well, it took a while, but it's done..." He told the biker. "Not that I don't mind fixing it or anything, but you have _got_ to do less of...whatever you did to bang it up like that..."

Oowada rolled his eyes. "The only reason why I ain't breaking your legs for that comment is because you're one of Fujisaki's friends. But, only for now..." He warned.

Souda laughed nervously. "Got it..." He replied.

Nanami glanced at the two. She was going to tell Souda the truth, but she didn't want to break her first promise with Oowada, so she decided to leave it be for now...but even so, she could swear that she saw some serious glares shared between the two.

"And don't let me see any weird changes on my bike either..." Oowada added.

"Yeah...I got that the fifteen times you said that before you left..." Souda grumbled.

Luckily, before any fists were thrown, Fujisaki walked in with a smile planted on his face. "Hey! I'm glad you guys are all together! I hope you're all getting along." He said.

"Of course we are!" Souda lied, also muttering something sarcastic under his breath.

"That's good." Fujisaki replied before looking at Nanami and Oowada. "So, how are you two getting along?"

"I would say, but I promised not to..." Nanami answered. Oowada rolled his eyes. Fujisaki was confused, but doubted that he would get anywhere by asking them.

"Just make sure that you don't get along _too_ well..." Souda warned with a small glare.

"That would make a weird ass couple, don't you think?" Oowada asked and turned to face Nanami. "No offence."

Nanami shrugged. "None taken." She replied.

"You can never be too sure..." Souda mumbled. "Anyway, at any time you can leave with your bike." He hinted.

"Souda-kun!" Fujisaki gasped.

"Yeah, well...I got to get going anyway..." Oowada told the smaller boy. "The other guys are probably waiting on me..."

Souda and Oowada walked away to go get the bike, leaving Nanami and Fujisaki alone. Fujisaki glanced at Nanami.

"You think he's nice, don't you...?" He asked with the smile still on his face.

Nanami, unsure of what to say, just said, "I promised not to say anything."

Fujisaki giggled. "He's not here to hear us. Besides, he wouldn't do anything to us. We both know it anyway." He explained.

"Well, if you put it that way..." Nanami mumbled.

Fujisaki glanced at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Nanami. "Um...so, if you don't mind me asking...where exactly do you go in the afternoons...?" He asked. "I know that Souda has been meaning to ask you as well..."

Nanami blinked. "I thought I told him I went to see someone..." She mumbled.

"Hm...yeah...he did say that, but, he wants to know exactly what you two do..." Fujisaki explained further.

"Oh." Nanami said. "Well, we just talk, really...tomorrow; I'm going to play some games with him."

Fujisaki shrugged. "Well, it seems harmless. Just make sure you're careful by yourself. You might be okay around water, but we couldn't make you invincible...and if we're not there, no one else will know what to do..." He reminded.

Nanami stared at the ground for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I know..." She replied. "I'll be fine..."

Fujisaki sighed. "You know, Souda-kun isn't too worried about you hanging out with other guys...it's just that he's worried about you malfunctioning while he isn't around...besides, we don't know what would happen if everyone figured out..." He explained.

Nanami folded her arms. "Chihiro, how did everyone react to when they found out your secret...?" She asked.

"My secret?" Fujisaki asked. "Oh! You mean about me being a guy...well, at first they were shocked, but they got over it pretty quickly and said that it didn't matter...but, that's still a little different from your situation, Chiaki..."

"I guess it's just a little hard..." Nanami said. "I mean, I'm used to talking about this kind of thing with you and Souda, but I always have to try not to say anything about it to my classmates..."

There was a short silence before Fujisaki spoke. "Well, maybe if they get to know you a little more and you think that they should know – tell them. After all, if they _are_ your friends, they won't mind..." He said.

"..." Nanami thought about that for a moment before speaking again. "I guess so..."

Souda, luckily, walked in after the conversation was finished. "Well, that guy's gone!" He announced. "...Should I get the balloons and streamers...?"

"Souda-kun!"

* * *

Nanami had to say, it was difficult to convince Souda to let her leave. After all, it _was_ their day off. Usually, on a Sunday, they would play a game together, but she already promised Hajime. She wouldn't say exactly what she did to convince him, but it involved paper clips and a subway coupon...

When she walked in, she saw Hajime sitting on the same chair, tapping his foot impatiently, the game clenched in his hands.

"Could you be any slower...?" He asked.

Nanami just smiled at him. "I guess...sorry. I had some stuff to take care of..." She told him, taking a seat next to him and passing the console over to him. "So, are you ready to play the hardest game in the world?"

Hajime shrugged. "I've been waiting ready for hours..." He stated.

"Well, let's get started."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Okay, so here's the chapter. I wanted to at least introduce some of Fujisaki's class in this chapter, and I know that I've missed some, but I didn't want the entire chapter to be about Fujisaki's class. It's more of trying to get myself used to certain characters...but, future chapters are going to have more Chiaki/Hajime bonding. I have some chapters that I'm dying to write! Oh! And some might say that Hajime is OOC. Well, he's developing. If anyone has seen an anime called 'Date A Live', he's sort of like Tohka, only a little less cheerful for now...Y-You should watch it...it's recommended...**

 **Now, there's going to be a slight problem. I won't be able to write on this story for twelve days, as I'm having an exchange student visiting my house, and I don't want to be writing while she's here.**

 **BUT! I will say, that the more reviews I get on this story, the quicker I will update afterwards! If you guys can get me enough reviews, I will be motivated to work harder and faster! Because, if I'm in a good mood, I write more efficiently.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I enjoyed reading them more than you think!**

 **So, PLEASE review! They are like hope shards! If I don't, I will be dripping with despair...! Upupupu...!**


	5. First names and threats

**I am not a Robot:**

 _Chapter four: First names and threats_

* * *

"I don't know which option to pick here..." Nanami mumbled, slightly disappointed. Hajime glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his brow raised in curiosity.

"I thought you were supposed to be the best at every game..." He stated. Nanami shrugged with a small smile planted on her face.

"Well, that's something that you just thought would be the case. See? Not everything is that simple." Nanami explained.

The two had kept their promise to each-other and were playing the dating simulator game. They had only started a few hours ago and they have been on the same set of options they were on ten minutes ago. Nanami could rule one option out, but the other two were a mystery. They had managed to get near the ending for one of the love options, but this was the part that many people screw up on...

"Hm...well, there is always a twist on people...but, even then, it's obvious..." Hajime muttered as he finally picked one of the options.

"Uh...what are you doing...?" Nanami asked. "That was the worst option out of that set..."

' _I hate you.'_ They heard the protagonist of the game say thanks to Hajime's choice.

' _Wha...? Y-You mean...all this time we spent together...'_ The girl on the screen gasped, pixel tears swelling up in her eyes. _'It was some kind of joke to you?'_

"What are you talking about?" Hajime asked Nanami.

"Well, she's upset now, and you won't get to be with her..." Nanami explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hajime looked back at the game. "This way, we get to see what she is really like. I fail to believe for a second that she was _that_ innocent." He explained.

Nanami was so tempted to roll her eyes, but restrained herself. "Or, she will just be upset...people don't know what they do when they are upset...I think..." She told him.

' _Well...that's okay...I can always find someone else...and I'm sure you will too.'_ The girl on the screen said with a smile. _'Um...even though you h-hate m-me...I-I-I want to be friends with you still...Is that okay...?'_

 **Yes.**

 **No.**

 **I don't know.**

Those were their options. "See, she's still okay..." Nanami stated. "I suggest that we choose-"

" **No."**

Nanami lifted a brow as she stared at Hajime. "Or...we can just get a game over..." She mumbled.

' _...'_ The girl said nothing for a short moment. _'I see...well, I...guess I might see you later then...'_

 **GAME OVER:**

" **You did not complete the love mode, nor the friend mode."**

" **Do you wish to try again?"**

"Maybe we should take a break..." Nanami suggested. She reached into her bag and pulled out two bottles of soda. She passed one to Hajime, who turned off the game and stared at the bottle, reading the label. It was different. Usually Souda would chug it all down without a second thought, and here Hajime was, reading the label.

After that, Hajime finally begun to drink it, followed by Nanami. The silence that went on between these two were natural occurrences. And most of the time, it was up to Nanami to break that silence.

"So, on a scale from one to ten, how would you rate yourself on how you did on that game?" Nanami asked. Hajime glanced over at her.

"Well, judging by the 'game over' screen, I would hardly say ten." Hajime stated. "But why is that? I just said what I would say in the situation..."

Nanami blinked. "Well, that's what I do too. I don't know...I guess I'm not too comfortable going for the love endings...I just get the friend endings most of the time." She admitted. "I'm still confused about how to act around people."

Hajime stared at her for a moment before flicking his bangs away from his face, and continued to drink his soda. Nanami, noticed this and blinked.

"Doesn't that hair get in your way...?" She asked.

Hajime shrugged. "Sometimes. It doesn't matter, though..."

Nanami cocked her head. "I think you are trying to not listen to my opinion." She stated. "Do you need to be so stubborn...? I just think that you should listen to others every once in a while."

"I am listening to you." Hajime replied before taking another sip. "I just choose not to do what you say or agree with it."

"..."

"..."

"That's not very smart."

Hajime stood up and leaned up against the wall. "Why do you care so much about what I do? You should be concerned with yourself."

"Why?" Nanami asked.

Hajime glanced up at the dusty ceiling in thought and annoyance. "Well, you _are_ naive..." He told her.

Nanami frowned. "That's not true. Souda prefers the term 'oblivious'. I don't understand how I would be 'naive'." She replied.

"You just confirmed my statement." Hajime told her.

Nanami sighed. "Well, I think that we both are a bit...oblivious...after all, what just happened in that game was not very...well executed." She said, choosing her words carefully.

This caught the red-eyed man's attention. "Explain."

Nanami stood up and walked over to him. "Well, I just think that we need to learn how to be less sociably oblivious is all. I heard about clubs. We could have one of those." She suggested.

Hajime shook his head. "That won't work." He stated simply.

"Oh?" Nanami asked, interested. "Why not? If you don't mind me asking..."

Hajime took a sudden interest in the bookshelves as Nanami waited for his answer. He seemed to take a while, but she knew that he already had a reason behind it. Could've it been that he was trying to carefully choose his words too?

"Well, for starters, we would need at least three members. I'm sure that you have some friends that would join, but we would need one of the teachers to approve of it. And, on top of that, we would need to decide what to do in the club. What kind of activities, and such. We can't just have a club for making acquaintances." Hajime explained. Nanami could've sworn that this was the most that Hajme has ever spoken in one breath.

"You haven't seen Haganai, have you?" She asked.

"I don't really care for anime." Hajime replied.

Nanami inwardly sighed. Of course it would be difficult to create a club. After all, Hajime didn't really say what he liked. He would just criticise everything.

Nanami glanced at the clock. It was getting late. Souda would throw a tantrum and call the fire brigade. "Well, we'll talk about this later." She said. "I've got to-"

"-Go." Hajime finished off for her. "I know this already. You have to leave or that mechanic will call in army troops from another country."

Nanami gave him a small smile. "Feel free to play the games. There's a rhythm game there called Hatsu-"

"I know what it's called." Hajime interrupted. "Everyone listens to the music...for some reason..."

Nanami inwardly begged everyone who might've been present at the time who could've been a fan of that music to forgive Hajime for not knowing what he was saying. If he said it in front of the wrong people, he would've been swept away by a mob of angry fans who says 'no' to another's opinion.

She made her way to the door and stopped, glancing back. "And remember what I said about the hair...maybe it could be a good idea to cut it a little – so it's not in your way. And just remember that unless it's a formal occasion, you don't have to wear a suit." She reminded him before shrugging. "That's just what I think, though..."

"Hm." The other replied with little interest.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She said, leaving the room and building.

* * *

"And that's why you shouldn't go out with anyone unless I say so!" Souda stated, concluding his speech to Nanami the next day. The two were currently eating lunch with Fujisaki and Oowada, who were just staring at him.

"Dude, that was one long-ass speech on dating if you ask me." Oowada stated.

"How did we get to this conversation again?" Fujisaki asked with a raised brow.

"It doesn't matter." Souda said. "The thing that _does_ matter is that I'm right. Right, Fujisaki?"

Fujisaki felt eyes on him and didn't know what to say. He hated getting involved in these situations without asking. He quickly grabbed his laptop out of his bag and opened it up. "Sorry, Souda. I need to work on Alter Ego." He said

Souda slouched over. "Fine. Don't defend me." He said. He must've gotten over it quickly, though. His smile returned. "You understand, though, don't you Chiaki?"

Nanami blinked. "I suppose. But that speech was longer than all of the credits of the Final-"

"What did we say about publicly speaking about game titles?" Souda interrupted.

"That we should cut each-other off every time we try to say one for running gag purposes?" Fujisaki asked.

"Exactly. Also, it's copyright. And that's bad. I don't need the company you-know-who on my ass again..." Souda explained.

Nanami stood up. "Well, I'm going to the classroom now. While all this talk of Souda getting in trouble amuses me, I need to go so then I don't show up late..." She explained.

Souda pulled his legs in towards himself and cuddled them. "How mean, Chiaki..." He mumbled.

After saying goodbye, Nanami walked through the seemingly empty halls on her way to class. However, there was one person in the hallway, sitting just outside of one of the rooms, eating. Though, Nanami never expected _him_ to be the type to do this sort of thing. She quietly walked up to him, and he didn't seem to notice.

"Kuzuryuu, right?" She asked the yakuza as he was about to swallow his food, surprising him so badly that he ended up choking on his food. "Ah, sorry...are you okay?"

"Ack! No, I am _not_ okay! Are you trying to kill me or something, bitch?" The baby-face yelled as he stood up with his eye twitching in anger.

"I am not a female dog. And Fujisaki says that it's bad manners to say those things..." Nanami replied as she blinked at his sudden outburst. She never knew that someone with that face could be so...verbally abusive.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be with that cowardly babysitter...?" Kuzuryuu asked, a scowl glued onto his face.

Nanami tilted her head. "I don't have a babysitter." She told him.

"Don't play dumb with me, bitch...!" Kuzuryuu yelled.

Nanami stared at him. She didn't know how to handle this situation. That was, until she noticed something odd about where they were. "What are you doing here, Kuzuryuu...?" She asked.

The yakuza blinked. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was just calmly eating until _someone_ tried to assassinate me!" He replied.

"That was not my intention." Nanami said. "I was just curious. Are you waiting for someone...?"

Kuzuryuu's eyes went wide as his face glowed a bright shade of pink. Nanami also noted how he had visibly flinched too. "W-Why would you say that?" He asked, stammering.

"Well, aren't there club activities going on in this room right now?" Nanami asked.

"Ugh! That's just a coincidence!" Kuzuryuu shouted.

"Now, what was it again...?" Nanami thought out loud. "Hm..."

"I-It's not anything!" Kuzuryuu interrupted. "Nothing is happening, damn it!"

"But you're stuttering...isn't that what happens sometimes when a person is nervous?" Nanami asked innocently.

"NO!" Kuzuryuu shouted, before taking a small breath to calm down. "Okay, I don't normally hit girls, alright? So, if you don't want to be the first girl I hurt, you had better watch what you say!"

Nanami blinked. Why is it that guys have so much pride? They can't be given a compliment and they don't like it when you talk too much. Nanami didn't understand.

"Do you mind if I ask who you're waiting for?" Nanami asked.

"Yes! I do mind if you ask! It's none of your business!" Kuzuryuu yelled. "Besides, who says that I'm waiting for someone?"

"You did."

"Huh? When?"

"Just now."

"I'll cut you into little pieces and sell you to a cannibal!" Kuzuryuu yelled.

"Do you have anything to cut me up with?" Nanami asked.

"Wha...? No, not now...but I _will_ do it!" He yelled.

Nanami sighed. "Boys are complicated...okay, I won't ask anymore..."

"What was all of the yelling about?"

Both Nanami and Kuzuryuu turned around to see a familiar swordswoman. Nanami finally got the picture and nodded.

"It's okay. I have to go to class anyway..." Nanami stated as she turned to leave before feeling someone grip her wrist.

"If you tell anyone about this, I _will_ go through with my threat! Got it?" It was Kuzuryuu.

Nanami shrugged. "I don't really get it, but if it's that important to you, I suppose I won't tell...I don't really feel like being eaten today..."

Pekoyama eyed Kuzuryuu. She obviously was confused about the whole 'cannibal' thing. Kuzuryuu let go off her, and there was surprisingly a red mark from where he held her. Kuzuryuu walked away, Pekoyama following him. She stopped in front of Nanami for a moment.

"I apologize about Fuyuhiko...that is to say – Kuzuryuu. He doesn't know what he wants most of the time." With that, she followed Kuzuryuu.

Nanami just stood there for a moment. "Are they on a first name basis? Are they that close?" She asked herself. She shrugged it off as she let out a small yawn. She decided it was best to head to the classroom. When she got there, there was another familiar face.

"Hello Nanami-san!"

Nanami smiled. "Hello Komaeda." She replied as she sat next to him.

"You know what; you are always early to class." Komaeda mentioned.

Nanami nodded. "It's really noisy out there. So, I decide to just go to where it's quiet..." She told him. "What about you? Why are you here early?"

Komaeda shrugged and stretched his arms out in front of him. "I just didn't want to bother anyone...nothing special, really?" He answered with what seemed to be a sad smile on his face.

Nanami stared at him for a moment. "Why do you think you would bother someone? I mean, you're pretty nice company...I think." She told him.

Komaeda scratched his head. "That's a complicated question, Nanami-san? What if I gave you a complicated answer?" He suggested.

"I don't know...I mean; I've had too many of those recently..." Nanami admitted. "Is it because of what Souda said?"

Komaeda shook his head. "No, no...of course not! It's my own opinion! That's all..." He replied.

"That answer is complicated..." Nanami told him.

"Ah...sorry..." He apologized.

"Komaeda," She began. "Can you tell me why boys are complicated?"

Komaeda blinked. "It's not like I don't want to help you, Nanami-san, but why are you asking me?" He asked.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, you're one of the more...sane people here. You're calmer than everyone else...I can't ask Souda, he would talk long enough for a three-thousand word report. Kuzuryuu would yell about how it's none of my business...you know how it is..." Nanami told him.

"I...think I get it." Komaeda mumbled. "Give me an example."

"When I try to give a compliment to one, they tell me it's a bad thing...is that true?" Nanami asked.

Komaeda shook his head. "I'll tell you a secret. Boys love to get compliments. We could listen to them all day. But, the only thing is that most boys want to sound tough. So, if someone compliments them, they get embarrassed."

"I think I understand..." Nanami mumbled.

"Most of the time when we deny something, we actually mean it...a lot." Komaeda added.

Nanami nodded. "Okay. Thanks Nagito."

The two stared at each-other for a long moment. "Didn't you mean 'Komaeda'?" He asked.

Nanami shook her head. "No. I said and meant 'Nagito'." She told him.

Komaeda laughed. "We haven't known each-other for that long, Nanami-san. I'm not sure if we can use a first-name basis yet." He explained.

"Well, when do people use the first-name basis with each-other...?" Nanami asked curiously.

Komaeda sat there and thought about it for a long time. "I'm not sure...I never used a first-name basis with anyone before."

"Well, you've helped me so much already, Nagito." Nanami stated. "I think it's fine."

Komaeda rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You really are too kind, Nanami-san..."

Nanami had to admit. Komaeda was probably the person that she could rely on the most to listen to her. No offence to Souda or anything, but he would most likely overreact or something like that. Komaeda was like the best friend character in a game you could ask for advice or tips. He wouldn't think too much of it and she knew that he listened.

* * *

Nanami could see the pattern continuing much more clearly now. Class starts, bell rings, class dismissed. She decided that she would take a quick nap on her desk while Souda is trying to, quote 'score with Sonia-san'. She figured it would be really quick, or long and drawn out. Besides, she was sure Hajime wouldn't mind too much if she was a few minutes late. She folded her arms on her desk and nuzzled her face into them, closing her eyes, trying to get to sleep.

"Hey,"

She didn't look up.

"Hey!" The voice said louder.

They're probably not talking to her...she figured that was it.

"HEY!" The voice yelled. "Do I have to wake you up myself?"

Nanami blinked a few times before looking up. She yawned, still drowsy from her almost-nap. She stared at the face for a while until she recognised it.

"Good afternoon, Kuzuryuu." She said. Kuzuryuu seemed like he couldn't decide if he should look at the ceiling, the ground, or her. Like he was nervous about something...she sighed, knowing what he was about to say. "Don't worry. I kept my promise. I haven't told anyone." She stood up, seeing that Souda was almost done talking to Sonia. Besides, she didn't really feel like being yelled at again.

"About that," The boy said, grabbing her attention. He took in a deep breath before speaking again. "I-I...you see, I'm just doing this for Peko, but..."

Nanami tilted her head. If he was doing a comedy-skit, he was doing it in a strange way...

"Look, she told me that I might have made a bad impression or some shit like that..." The yakuza explained. "It's not your fault for anything...you were just passing by and all...so, I guess..." He visibly shuddered.

"Are you okay?" Nanami asked. "Your face is red again. Do you have a switch on you that turns you into a tomato...?"

"Ah? What? Why would you-? No! There is no such thing as a switch that does that!" The boy sputtered, soon groaning. "Are you that damn...never mind. It doesn't matter, okay...? The thing is though, I want to apologize for my earlier behaviour...I just got-"

"-Embarrassed because you want to sound tough...?" Nanami finished off. "I learned that today."

"Yeah..." Kuzuryuu replied with a barely noticeable nod. "So, uh...do you accept my apology...? I mean, I understand if you don't want to be nice to the guy who threatened to kill you over something like that..."

Nanami shrugged. "Well, it's okay. I don't really mind that much. After all, I haven't told anyone, so I don't have to worry. Besides, you seem like a nice person."

"I-I-I am not!" Kuzuryuu shouted. Nanami blinked. Had she seen this sort of thing before recently, or is she just dreaming? She shrugged it off though.

"You are, though. I mean, you waited for Pekoyama, didn't you? And you came over here to apologize to me." Nanami explained.

If it was possible, the yakuza's face went even redder. "D-Don't say that! I need some people to at least be scared of me!" He took a breath and calmed down, his face beginning to return back to its original colour. "Look, sorry. I'm not really good at this."

"So, you are also 'sociably oblivious'?" Nanami asked.

"No, I wouldn't say that..." Kuzuryuu stated. He lifted up one of his sleeves a little, revealing a watch. He sighed. "Okay, got to go. Um...goodbye, I guess?" He said and left.

Nanami couldn't decide what was more awkward. The first time they met, which resulted in him and Saionji yelling at each-other. The second time, where he yelled at her. Or this time, where he apologized. She let out a small sigh. Komaeda was right. Boys do get embarrassed easily.

Souda ran over to her and lifted her up into the air. "Are you okay, Chiaki? I saw Kuzuryuu over here! Did he do something to you?" He said in a panic.

Nanami shook her head. "No. We just talked. He's nice." She told him.

Souda had a look of confusion on his face. "If he's nice, then I'm a hedgehog with grass for quills and pretty pink flowers for ears." He said sarcastically. "Why do you go after all of the crazy ones?"

"That wouldn't be bad actually..." Nanami mumbled. "You would make a good hedgehog."

"AH! That's not the point!" Souda yelled.

"Souda," Nanami began. "Can you please put me down? I need to go see someone."

"If it's that same guy you visit every day, then I can't do that. What do you even do?" Souda asked.

"Well, right now we're playing games. I don't see the harm...please, Souda?" She replied.

Souda kept his stern expression glued on his face. "I haven't met the guy yet, so how can I trust him to be with you?" He asked.

"Well, just trust me..." Nanami said. Souda kept his cool. It was at this point that Nanami decided to bring out her cheat code. "Please Kazuichi?"

Souda blinked and slowly put her back on the ground. Souda soon grinned. "Okay! Just be back quick, alright?" He said happily.

Nanami nodded. "Thanks," She told him. She left the room and made her way towards the Reserve Building.

When she made it to the room, though...no one was in there. It was like a ghost...room? She looked around the room until she came across a desk with a piece of paper on top. Curiously, she picked it up and read what it said.

' **Nanami,**

 **I'm busy today. Meet me in town tomorrow in front of the game stop after you finish with school. Or else.**

 **Hajime'**

Nanami blinked. She didn't know how to feel. First, she was threatened face-to-face and then she was threatened through a note. It was kind of weird for someone who had such beautiful handwriting to use it like this.

"I guess I'll leave..." She said with a small disappointed sigh. "And I used my trump card already too."

* * *

She had been waiting all day for school to finish. She wondered what Hajime was planning today. But as she passed by the front entrance, she was surprised to see a whole gang of bikers. She blinked and curiosity once again got the better of her and she walked over to see what was going on. To her surprise – again – she spotted Souda and Fujisaki standing in front of them. Out of all of the people to be calm around a biker gang, she put these two really low on the list.

"What's going on?" She asked her creators.

"Oowada has something planned for today." Fujisaki answered. "Something about having a special guest ride with them."

"Who?" Nanami asked.

Souda shrugged. "Usually, I would think Ishimaru or Fujisaki, but that didn't work out too well." He replied. "So, who in the hell would know...?"

"He wouldn't even tell me..." Fujisaki added. "I wonder..."

"Girlfriend maybe?" Souda suggested. "It's possible."

"I don't think many people would approve of that." Nanami pointed out. "Is Oowada getting them."

Fujisaki shook his head. "No, he sent one of his members to get him. He's over there somewhere." He said, pointing over to a small crowd of people.

"I still think it's a girl." Souda continued.

"Oowada!" Fujisaki called out. Soon enough, Oowada walked over to them, pushing past the crowd. "Chiaki's here."

"Yo!" Oowada greeted.

"Yo?" Nanami replied, slightly confused. "Oowada, who are you taking with you?"

Oowada smiled. "Just one of my classmates. He's a bit of a coward, so I'm going to toughen him up a bit." He explained.

"So, it's not a girl." Nanami mumbled. "Told you, Souda."

Souda grumbled then blinked. "Wait...Souda?" He then walked over to a small garden and begun to fiddle with something.

"What are you doing Souda-kun?" Fujisaki asked.

"I'm growing mushrooms..." The mechanic mumbled in disappointment.

"Is that guy going to be okay?" Oowada asked.

Nanami shrugged. "He'll be fine. He wouldn't be able to grow mushrooms that quickly anyway..." She stated. "Anyway, who are you taking with you?"

"Ah well-oh, here he comes!" Oowada said as he pointed towards the school. Nanami and Fujisaki turned around to see a really buff guy carrying someone who looked like a stick compared to him. Nanami could've sworn she had seen this person before.

"Ah...! N-Naegi!" Fujisaki gasped.

"Oh yes...I met him the other day, I think..." Nanami said. "He is the one with the not copyrighted hair."

The buff guy carried Naegi over and put him on the ground. "Naegi, are you okay?" Fujisaki asked, worried.

"Yeah...I'm fine." Naegi replied. "Just a little spooked, I suppose. He just came up behind me and grabbed me."

"Good news, Naegi!" Oowada announced. "We're going on a ride."

"W-What?" Naegi asked. "I don't think-!"

"Don't worry. We'll stay within the speed limit." Oowada said, calming the luckster down. "For a while at least."

"EH?" Naegi screamed.

"Hey, just be glad we didn't decide to steal a doughnut truck and go onto a busy highway on a police chase." Oowada told him.

Nanami smiled, and did something so unexpected, that even Souda stopped planting his misery mushrooms to turn around. Nanami began to giggle.

"That's so stereotypical...! It would look like the police are chasing the truck to get doughnuts...!" She said, holding in her laughter.

"Oh come on! How did you make her laugh so easily?" Souda shouted in anger.

"Hey, don't ask me." Oowada told him.

"Hey, aren't you Nanami?" Naegi asked.

Nanami stopped her giggling fit and glanced over at him. "Yes. And you are Naegi. We met the other day when you fell down the stairs." She confirmed.

"Ah...thanks for refreshing my memory..." He mumbled in embarrassment.

Nanami nodded, not getting the sarcasm in his voice. "You're welcome." She replied.

Naegi sighed. "Today's not my day. First I get a bunch of questions about my hair and then I get forced to participate in illegal activities. I can't handle this...Kirigiri-san won't be happy with me..." He said, scratching the back of his head.

Nanami blinked. "Kirigiri...?" She asked.

Fujisaki nodded with a small smile. "She's really nice. She's the daughter of the headmaster here at Hope's Peak, and she's also the Super Duper High-School Level Detective." He explained. "She and Naegi are pretty close friends."

Naegi's face began to turn red. "I-I guess that's true." He said.

"Chihiro, what does it mean when someone's face turns red?" Nanami asked. "Does he have a fever?"

Fujisaki shook his head, the smile still present. "No. I think he's just a little embarrassed is all..." He said.

"Oh. I get it..." Nanami said. "I think...?"

"I-I am not..." Naegi said shyly.

Oowada smirked. "You know what could impress her? Being a badass and riding a motorcycle!" He stated as he grabbed Naegi's wrist and dragged him over to his bike. "See you guys later!" He called out to everyone.

"Bye Oowada! Bye Naegi!" Fujisaki said as he gave them a wave.

"Wait! I'm not ready yet, Oowad-AH!" Naegi screamed as he took off.

"Well, he's going to die young..." Souda stated.

Fujisaki glanced up at him and yelped. "Souda-kun! When you said you were going to grow mushrooms, I didn't think you meant on you!" He announced.

"It looks...less than attractive..." Nanami stated.

"Well," Souda began as he folded his arms. "I'm just _Souda_."

Nanami sighed. "Sorry, I forgot..." She said.

"..." Souda unfolded his arms and sighed. "It's okay. Just help me get these things off before Sonia-san sees me."

* * *

Nanami sighed as she stood in front of the game stop. She couldn't even begin to describe how long it took to convince Souda to let her come today. All she could say was that it involved a magnet and a Mcgronalds' coupon.

She didn't understand why he was late. After all, he was the one who arranged the meeting. So why would he show up late? If she showed up late, she would've gotten an earful out of him.

She yawned. If she was gain enough, she would've just slept on a park bench. But since Souda gave her that long speech about 'stranger danger', she didn't think that it was a good idea.

"Where is he?" She mumbled quietly to herself. She glanced inside the game shop. It looked as if there could've been hundreds of games inside. She couldn't wait for Hajime to show up. She might be able to ask him about going inside.

"Ah, good. You're here." A voice said from behind. She turned around and saw a new face. He kind of looked like Naegi's clone. The hair was almost exactly the same, only a darker shade of brown. He wore a white shirt and a green tie that had the name of another high-school written on it. He wore blue jeans along with red and white sneakers.

Nanami blinked and then stared at him for a moment. "Are you a telemarketer...?" She asked.

The man sighed. "Do I look like I have a phone?"

"I guess not." Nanami replied.

"Try again." He told her.

Nanami took a closer look at him as she narrowed her eyes. "Naegi's clone."

"No..." The man said in irritation.

Nanami smiled. "I'm just trolling you." She told him. "I'd recognise those red eyes anywhere. You didn't get contacts. Though, I'm glad you took my advice, Hajime."

Hajime rolled his eyes. "Well, if I didn't, you would be on my case..."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Whoo! All done. I thought it was best to leave it here for now. I'm sorry for not updating for a long time and giving you guys a short chapter...I'm all kinds of evil...**

 **But! The exchange student thing went well. When they were leaving, though, everyone was crying and upset. And I was just standing there in a daze. Oops...forgot to cry.**

 **I am really happy with all of the support I'm getting though. Your reviews inspired me! I was like 'I got to give them a chapter!' So, here it is!**

 **I HAD to put Kuzuryuu in this chapter! He is easily one of my favourites! Anyone who doesn't like him doesn't understand my mind...! But hey, it's your opinion. And I respect that!**

 **Finally, Hajime is back! He should be in more of the next chapter! I hope you guys like that. And anyone who hasn't watched Haganai, please give it a go. It's a good anime...**

 **Reviews are like social links. I get rank-ups all the time and my writing abilities get stronger. So, leave a review, and I will work on the next chapter harder, better, faster, stronger! I love to read them more than Souda likes...soda...**


	6. His Tears

**I am not a Robot:**

 _Chapter five: His tears_

* * *

"Hajime, what do you want to do first?" Nanami asked with expectation hinted in her eyes. Hajime stood there, unresponsive. Nanami tilted her head. "I think it's great that you have a new look, but you could've waited until the next time I came over, but you didn't. So, what did you have in mind...?"

"..."

Nanami blinked in confusion. She put together that he doesn't really know how to begin the events. She inwardly sighed and decided to help him out. "Well, since we're out in front of a game shop, we'll probably start off here. Then, we'll take turns picking out places to go to. That should probably work to benefit both of us." She suggested with a small smile.

Hajime scratched the back of his head in thought and nodded. "Okay." He agreed.

When the two of them walked into the game store, Nanami felt as if she had just entered Heaven. She hadn't actually been inside one before since either Fujisaki or Souda would just give her games, so this was a great experience for her. She quickly made her way to the new releases and her smile grew. Hajime followed, less enthusiastic.

"These all look really fun." She mumbled to herself, trying to decide what to get. She turned to Hajime. "How about if we pick out a game for us to play sometime soon once we finish the dating sim?"

Hajime nodded, causing Nanami to puff out her cheeks in frustration. She didn't really like having this one-sided conversation. Hajime stared at her for a moment before bringing his hand up to his mouth and quickly turning around, facing the other direction. Nanami tilted her head when she noticed that his shoulders were shaking. He suddenly let out a quiet laugh, surprising Nanami. A lot. The laugh was gradually getting louder until he was laughing so much that he was almost crying. Nanami's curiosity kicked in.

"What's funny?" She asked. Whatever it was, it must've been especially funny for Hajime to laugh like this. Or just laugh. Period.

Hajime tried to control himself, only quietening his fit slightly. "Y-Your face i-is j-j-just-!" He began in between his laughter. "Fricken' hilarious!" He finished.

"Is that what all this laughing is about? I don't really see the amusement in that..." Nanami told him honestly.

Hajime quickly composed himself, stopping his fit immediately. "Me neither. Just pick a game." He replied. Nanami raised a brow, confused further, but decided not to question it further. It wasn't like he was going to admit anymore than he already has. He's already surprised Nanami a lot within the first ten minutes of seeing each-other today. But, nevertheless, she smiled. At least she could tell that he was enjoying himself. She was going to search through the endless stack of games until Hajime picked out a game and walked over to the counter. She watched him for a moment. He was buying the game!

Soon after, he came back with the game in a plastic bag. "It had high rating reviews. It seemed logical to buy it and see if it was as great as people made it out to be." He explained.

Nanami stared at him. "Yeah, I guess that's fine. But, I feel like I should at least pay for half of it." She told him. He just shook his head.

"We're not arguing about this." He stated. "These conversations can go on for hours, but the buyer will always win."

He then began to walk away, out of the store. Nanami sighed and quickly caught up with him.

"So, where do you want to go?" She asked him.

He glanced around and then pointed at another store filled with smaller items. From what she could see, they were all fairly cheap, so it was a good choice. She nodded and the two of them walked over there.

There were a lot of items in the store including mugs, plush dolls, figurines, books, a small variety of movies and more. A lot of the things were pretty cute, but she wondered what would've caught Hajime's eye to bring him over to the store. He was just walking around, looking at everything really. She decided to buy him something in return for the game. It was difficult, considering that he didn't share his interests all that often.

Her eyes caught onto a giant rabbit plush. It was almost as big as her. It was white and wore a short, pink dress, necklace and with a bow in its ear. It had small, white wings sewed onto the back of it and held a giant stick looking thing that you would often see in Magical Girl anime. She smiled at it. Without thinking she told the seller that she would buy it and gave them the amount. She held it in her arms as Hajime came back, nothing new in his hand.

"What in the world is that?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It's a rabbit." She replied. "It should be named Usami."

Hajime rolled his eyes. "That's a little less creative than most names I've heard of..." He muttered.

Nanami's shoulders slouched over in disappointment. "But...I thought you would've liked it...even if it was just a little..." She mumbled.

Hajime folded his arms. "The guilt tripping doesn't work on me." He explained.

Nanami frowned. "Aw...I thought that was going to work..." She said.

Hajime sighed. "But, it's kind of...fitting, I guess..." He muttered.

Nanami stared at him with curiosity glinting in her eyes. She tried to place a character on him, but he seemed to change a lot from when she first met him. It's like he is a different person all together. She mentally shook her head. She would figure all of that out later.

She held the large plush out in front of him. "Then, here. Take it. I bought it for you to remember this day." She told him with a sweet smile.

Hajime blinked, looking slightly shocked for a split-second before composing himself quicker than the last time. "I appreciate the offer, but-"

"Nope." Nanami interrupted, still smiling. "You said this before, and I quote: These conversations can go on for hours, but the buyer will always win. I think that's what you said, anyway..."

Hajime grunted before gently taking the rabbit out of Nanami's hands. He stared at it with annoyance. "Is it mocking me...?" He asked, growling.

Nanami giggled. "Hajime, I don't think that a stuffed animal can do that. You're being paranoid..." She informed.

Hajime glanced from the rabbit to Nanami, his face still showing annoyance. "Fine...but if it ends up being possessed, we're playing a penalty game..." He grunted.

"Hajime, if any stuffed animal ends up being possessed it would be that one." Nanami stated as she pointed over to a stuffed bear that was half black, and half white. The white side having a normal black buttoned eye and a cute mouth, while the over half had a red eye in the shape of something representing a lightning bolt, the mouth showing sharp teeth. It was held by a teenager with long, out of control blond hair held in two ponytails clipped by two hairclips representing the bear. She looked very familiar to Nanami, but couldn't really place it. She was talking to a girl around the same height as her who had short, black hair, and looked more composed.

"So, what do you think, sis?" The blond asked as she held the bear in front of her face. "Does this bring out the despair...?"

"Sure." The raven-haired girl answered with a nod. The blond frowned as she lowered the bear.

"Aw...come on! You can be a little more enthusiastic...pwease...?" She whined, her voice higher than before.

The raven-haired girl didn't reply. She instead glanced over to the direction of Nanami and Hajime and looked away shyly for a moment before she whispered something to the other and walked over towards the two. Nanami blinked at the girl, confused.

The girl stared up at Hajime for a moment for a moment before sighing. "Apologies. I thought you were someone else." She said, disappointment hinted in her voice.

Hajime stared at her. "You really don't know who I am? I thought you were more intelligent than that, but I must've been mistaken." He stated.

The girl's mouth opened slightly. "Are you I-?" She began until she was cut off by the ahoge-wearer.

"Hajime now." Hajime stated. "What are you and Enoshima doing here, Ikusaba?"

"I see you've started taking an interest in things now." The girl – Ikusaba – observed. "Junko and I are just looking for anything that might scare a child."

"Something about 'despair' again?" Hajime asked.

Ikusaba nodded. She glanced down at Nanami for a moment and looked back up at Hajime. "So...Hajime, you have obtained a friend, or acquaintance?" She asked, slightly curious.

Nanami looked up at Hajime who just narrowed his eyes. Ikusaba shrugged that off and glanced back at Nanami. "Ikusaba Mukuro. Hajime and I are acquaintances. You are...?"

"Nanami Chiaki." She answered politely.

"Ah. Fujisaki Chihiro's cousin. The Gamer...I see..." Ikusaba murmured. "I am in his class. I am the Soldier. And my sister over there is Enoshima Junko; the Gyaru, Gyaru."

"It's nice to meet you." Nanami told her.

"Oi! Mukuro! You like Naegi, we get it! Hurry your ass up over here already before I kick it!" Enoshima shouted from the distance, causing Ikusaba to scowl at her.

"Naegi...?" Nanami asked. "Do you mean Naegi Makoto in your class...?"

Ikusaba glanced back at her, trying to hide a deep blush now present on her cheeks. "I-I shall meet with you two later. I'm afraid if I stay too much longer that she will write it on a billboard..." With that, she rushed back over to Enoshima.

"Upupupu...!" Enoshima said as they walked away.

Nanami looked back at Hajime. "How long have you two known each-other?" She asked as she tilted her head.

Hajime shrugged. "Who knows?" He said. "Can we go somewhere else now?"

Nanami frowned. "You're avoiding the question." She told him. "That's something that Fujisaki and Souda do all the time."

"I didn't avoid it. I answered it with another question. I ask again. Can we go somewhere else now?" He repeated.

Nanami sighed. "Maybe you'll tell me later..." She mumbled. Hajime shrugged as Nanami lead him over to the arcade – something new to both of them, though, Nanami knew the basics.

"Let's see..." Nanami began. "Do you want to try the claw game?" She asked as she pointed at said game that was filled with more stuffed animals.

Hajime glanced at the machine for a moment before looking back at Nanami with a face that said; 'are you serious?', he sighed, following her over to the machine, wondering how she was being so energetic all of the sudden.

Nanami already had a coin ready, holding it until she decided which one she wanted. She smiled and slid the coin into the slot, gripping onto the control stick. She moved the claw around a bit until she pressed the button. Slowly, the claw was making its way down until it gripped onto one of the stuffed toys. It slowly came back up, revealing the half white, half pink rabbit, dropping it down the slope. The toy slid down until it eventually fell down the hole. Nanami bent down and grabbed her new prize.

"That was fun." She said as she turned to face Hajime. "Do you want a try?"

Hajime shook his head. "I think I've had enough of all this...cute stuff..." He replied.

"I'm glad you think it's cute, Hajime." Nanami said as she headed off to the next game.

"You know that's not what I meant!" Hajime called out.

The two continued to play games, Nanami noticing how much Hajime was actually smiling now. It's like he changed his entire personality when he changed his look. She thought it was pretty amazing, to be honest.

The two of them shared many bags full of prizes and souvenirs that they had gotten through the day so far. It earned some stunned looks from passer-bys. Nanami glanced at Hajime from the corner of her eye and saw him going through the bags. Her smile grew. She thought that he looked quite excited about all the stuff that they had gotten. Hajime blinked and looked at Nanami raising an eyebrow.

"What are you giving me that look for?" He asked sceptically.

Nanami shrugged. "You just seem happy is all...that makes me glad." She replied.

Hajime's eyes were shining for a split-second before he looked away. "Do you always have to do that?" He groaned, scratching the back of his head.

Nanami stared at him for a moment. "Do what?" She asked.

Hajime looked back at her. " _That_!" He said. "The whole 'innocent' thing."

"Well, I'm just telling you what I'm thinking..." Nanami told him.

"I'm glad that you told me to come here, Hajime." She added. "It was a good time. Very different from what I'm used to doing. You're very good at making people happy."

Hajime took a sudden interest in the ground. "Well, if I can be honest...this is my first time doing this sort of thing..."

Nanami blinked. "Really? But, you kept me really entertained for the whole time. It's like you have done this a hundred times before..."

Hajime quickly looked at Nanami. "I'm _not_ that kind of guy!"

"I wasn't trying to imply that at all." Nanami replied. "I was just saying that you're very good at this kind of thing. It's like what you would do in a dating sim."

Hajime sighed. "Yeah...I know what you meant..."

Nanami stood up, carrying her bags. "I had a really fun time, Hajime. We should do this again sometime." She told him with a soft smile.

Hajime also stood up. "You're going already?" He asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Nanami nodded. "I really have to go. Besides, all the stores are starting to close now. We can't do all that much with them closed."

Hajime folded his arms. "Fine then...we'll go back to the usual then. It wasn't like I didn't see this coming or anything..."

"Hajime," Nanami began. "Are you telling me that you're...sad?"

This took the ahoge-wearer by surprise. He stared at her with widened eyes. He stood there for a moment before finally being able to speak. "Well, I just thought we would hang out for a little longer is all...not many people bother with me for this long..."

"We'll see each-other tomorrow, Hajime. It's not like-"

"You don't know that though!" Hajime suddenly yelled, causing Nanami to flinch. "Something could happen to one of us, or...!" He trailed off.

Nanami gave him a sad smile, realizing what he was getting at. "Well, how about we make a promise to each-other." She suggested, getting Hajime's attention. "I promise I will visit you every day for at least an hour and a half. And maybe we can do something together on the weekends. It's not like I'm doing all that much on them anyway..."

Hajime's eyes began to feel weird. Soon his face was feeling hot and wet. He looked up at the sky. It wasn't like it was raining or anything, so how did his face get wet? He quickly wiped the wetness away, but it was soon quickly replaced. He didn't understand what was going on.

Nanami stared at Hajime in shock. She never expected him to cry this much. She wasn't quite sure on what to do. She wasn't good around people who were upset. She didn't know how to make Hajime feel better. He was wiping away the tears, but he was like a never ending fountain – the tears kept on coming. Nanami set her bags down. It was good that by this point that there practically wasn't anyone there. She would have to do something that she heard comforted people. She walked close to Hajime and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's called a hug, Hajime." She told him, earning a slight chuckle.

"I know what it's called..." He said with a small smile.

Nanami looked up at him, still holding the hug. "Are you feeling better?" She asked, concerned.

Hajime nodded, the tears beginning to slow down. "Yeah...but can you let go? People don't really hug for this long..."

Nanami let go, still looking up at the taller teen, who laughed at himself.

"This isn't really normal..." He told himself, laughing. "I'm not normally this...emotional..."

"It's fine." Nanami told him. "Those are 'happy tears'. That means you can do that for as long as you want and it's okay..."

Hajime soon finished wiping away the tears and gave Nanami a sweet smile – a face that suited him quite well, actually. "I must've looked really weak, huh?"

"No, it's fine." Nanami replied, shaking her head.

"I just..." Hajime began. "I-I guess...you're my first real friend..." He admitted.

Nanami tilted her head. "I am? What about Ikusaba?"

"I guess I sort of know her. But she barely sees me. She comes over only a few times over a period of months. So, I guess it's more 'acquaintances' than friends."

"Oh. Well, in that case...I'm honoured to be that first friend." Nanami told him.

"D-Don't say it like that..." Hajime said; face beginning to turn bright pink as Nanami giggled.

* * *

Nanami yawned, still tired from the events of yesterday with Hajime. She was now back at school, sitting at a table with Souda, Fujisaki and Oowada. True, she's normally pretty tired most of the time, but she was just about ready to pass out. She spent the whole night thinking about Hajime and how much he had cried over her. It was like looking at a kicked puppy. It was sad, sad to the point that she felt like she would cry. But she didn't know if that was possible considering her situation.

She listened as the others at the table talked amongst one-another. Though, it wasn't like she was listening enough to quite remember what they were saying.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, expecting to see someone like Komaeda or someone else in her class. But no. It was probably the last person she expected to see here.

"Hajime?" She asked. Everyone else at the table stopped their conversations and stared at the new arrival.

"Who else do you know with this hairstyle?" Hajime asked.

Nanami shrugged. "I can think of one."

Hajime groaned. "Don't answer that then."

"Um...excuse me..." Fujisaki began to talk to Hajime. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Naegi by any chance, would you?"

Hajime shook his head, not saying a word. It was like he was staring the others down, like what he did when he first met her.

Souda stood up from where he was sitting and stood face-to-face with Hajime, a decently serious look on his face. The two stared at each-other for a long period of time as Fujisaki inched towards Oowada for safety, feeling as if there was going to be a lot of sparks flying. Nanami could only watch as the two had their stare-down. Souda turned to Nanami.

"Are you kidding me? This is the _'friend'_ you were talking about?" Souda whined.

"You already told him we were friends?" Hajime asked.

Nanami sighed. "Calm down, it's not like I said that he _wasn't_ a boy."

"Are you like her brother?" Hajime asked in a bored tone. "You two don't look alike."

"Ah...no...?" Souda replied.

"Okay, then are you her boyfriend...?" Hajime interrogated.

"N-No..." Souda answered.

"Then I don't see any reason for you to question why the two of us are hanging out with each-other." Hajime said with a glare. Souda crinkled his nose.

"Argh! Shut up!" He yelled.

"Those two words just proved that you don't disagree with me and you have no comeback." Hajime muttered.

"What was that?" Souda yelled through his teeth.

"If I'm correct, you would be Souda, correct?" Hajime asked.

"What's it to you?" Souda asked in annoyance.

Hajime smirked. "In my opinion, that sounds more like a last name than a first. And every time she brought you up in a conversation, she called you 'Souda'. So, that would mean that you two mustn't be all that close after all..." He finished.

Souda stood there in shock with his mouth wide open, revealing his shark-like teeth. "H-Huh?" He screamed.

Oowada whistled, impressed. "Well, he got you there!" He stated.

"Ah...Souda-kun is going to be upset again...!" Fujisaki said.

"Ah, sorry Souda..." Nanami apologised.

"Calling me 'Souda' won't help me in this conversation!" Souda yelled.

"Sorry, force of habit." Nanami stated.

Hajime folded his arms. "No wonder she is in such a rush to get back to you so quickly...you're so annoyingly over-protective that it's sickening to look at."

"What do you know, huh?" Souda yelled.

"Apparently a lot. Because I believe that I have just won this argument..." Hajime finished.

Souda clenched his teeth together. Nanami could practically see a punch-on happening from a mile away, so she went to the liberty of introducing everyone before that moment could happen.

"Hajime, you should know these people. As you know, this is Souda Kazuichi, Super Duper High-School Level Mechanic. Fujisaki Chihiro, Super Duper High-School Level Programmer and Oowada Mondo, Super Duper High-School Level Gang Leader." Nanami said, introducing everyone at the table as she pointed at them. "And this is my friend Hajime."

The three stared at Hajime for a moment as if they were expecting more.

"So," Souda began with a smirk. "What's his talent...?"

"Huh...?" Nanami asked in surprise.

Souda's smirked grew. "Well, to even be near this school, you must have a hell of a talent."

Nanami didn't know what to do. She didn't even know that Hajime had permission to be in here. Hajime, however, looked as if he had himself covered.

"If you want the answer, you can go ask the Soldier or the other one...what's her name...?" Hajime wondered out loud.

"Enoshima?" Fujisaki suggested.

"Yeah, sure. If that's her name. She carries a weird stuffed animal around with her all over the place." Hajime replied.

"Oh yeah... _that_ thing...she calls it Monobear or some shit like that..." Oowada said.

"Well, why can't _you_ tell us?" Souda growled.

Hajime rolled his eyes. "If I told you, you would want to hear it from someone else to see whether or not I'm lying. Not like they'll tell you anyway..." He answered.

Nanami knew that these two were far from getting along. Oh well. At least they wouldn't have to deal with each-other in class.

* * *

"Sorry about that, Souda..." Nanami told the mechanic as they entered the classroom. "Hajime isn't good around other people yet..."

Souda folded his arms with a scowl on his face. "I could see that...!" He said.

Nanami sighed. "Souda, maybe you should give him a chance. He's not that bad of a person..."

"I'll believe that when I stop being motion sick..." Souda grumbled.

Nanami knew that it was almost impossible to reason with Souda when he was in a mood. He just doesn't like anyone else's way but his. She felt that it was probably best to leave it at that for now.

"Ah well," Souda said as he sat down in his chair. "At least I won't have to deal with him anymore."

Nanami stared at him for a moment before sitting down in her own chair and let out another small yawn. "I guess that's true..." She mumbled.

"Nanami-san..." Nanami looked at Komaeda who had yet another concerned look on his face. "Are you and Souda fighting again...?"

Nanami smiled and shook her head. "No. He's just being over-protective again. I made another friend that he doesn't get along well with." She explained.

"Oh." Komaeda said. "Well, as long as it's nothing serious. I would hate to think that you two aren't getting along again. It must've been really awkward..."

"It was. But this is just how we'll always be with each-other, I think..." Nanami replied.

Komaeda showed Nanami a sad smile. "You know, when you two had your first argument, it really did make me feel like trash, knowing it was kind of over me and such..." He explained as Nanami blinked. "But, I glad I'm not causing any trouble anymore..."

"You never caused any trouble. In fact, I think it made Souda a little less jumpy about my decisions. So don't put yourself down like that, okay?" Nanami replied.

Komaeda frowned. "Only if you say so, Nanami-san..."

Nanami tilted her head. She wasn't sure why Komaeda was acting like he was to blame for anything. And the whole thing about calling himself 'trash' wasn't helping her feel comfortable either...he even looked paler than usual...he almost looked so pale that he was practically transparent...she decided to leave it be for now. After all, other people are complicated...

"Hm...!" Mioda hummed extremely loud. When nobody asked about it, she ran towards Nanami's desk. "Nanami-chan! Nanami-chan!"

"What is it?" Nanami asked.

Mioda smiled widely. "What should your ship-name be?" She asked.

"Ship-name?" Nanami asked.

"Yeah! For you and Komaeda-chan!" The musician continued.

"It's not like that, Mioda..." Komaeda stated nervously.

"What does she mean, Nagito?" Nanami asked curiously.

"Ah...how do I put this...?" Komaeda wondered aloud. "She thinks that we might be a couple, so she's trying to combine our names and say we're in a relationship."

"Ah...ship as in relationship...I thought she was trying to build an actual ship, but maybe I wasn't thinking too much into it..." Nanami said. "But, how does she combine our names...?"

"It's simple!" Mioda stated. "Ibuki will give you an example! KuzuPeko!"

"Don't!" Kuzuryuu yelled as he walked over to where Mioda was. "We're not in that sort of relationship...!"

"But, Ibuki thought that since you call her by her first name sometimes, you had a bit of KuzuPeko action going on...!" Mioda announced.

"Shut the fu-!"

"Kuzuryuu, we best not question it..." Pekoyama advised, walking over with a slight blush on her face. "It's simply her wild imagination..."

Kuzuryuu growled at the musician, glaring so hard that it could burn holes through her. "We'll settle this later..." He said as he and Pekoyama walked away.

Once they were a safe distance away, Mioda smirked. "They totally have a thing...!"

"Maybe so, but Nagito and I are just friends. I haven't ever looked for being in a relationship with anyone as of yet..." Nanami stated.

Mioda pouted. "Aw...that's no fun..." She whined. "Oh well, Ibuki shall think of something by herself!" And with that she walked away.

"Eh...sorry about that, Nanami-san..." Komaeda said.

Nanami smiled. "It's fine. It's not like you were the one saying all of that..."

Then the teacher walked into the classroom, saying things like 'sit down' and such. Everyone did as they were told and sat in their chairs.

"Well, I have some news class..." He announced. "We have another student entering this class. They haven't been able to attend due to certain circumstances, but now they are finally joining us."

"Oh! Oh! Sensei!" Mioda called out, waving her hand in the air.

"Ah...yes, Mioda...?" The teacher asked.

Mioda smiled. "Is it a boy or girl?"

"Um...well, you'll know when they come into class..." The teacher replied.

"Oh! Oh! Sensei!" Mioda called again. "Are they a magical garment girl?"

"I don't think so...but keep using that imagination, Mioda..." The teacher replied as he looked at the door. "Anyway, please come in.

Everyone waited in expectation as someone walked in. Nanami's mouth opened slightly as she saw him. She turned to face Souda who looked like he was having a heart attack. She sighed.

This wasn't going to end well...

...But...

...How come Hajime is here...?

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **BOOM! DONE! I have had this half done for ages, but I never gotten around to it due to certain distractions. But, it's done nevertheless!**

 **It's a bit shorter than I had hoped, but whatever. I had originally just planned a date between Nanami and Hajime, but it only had like 2000 words and I thought that you guys have been waiting too long for just that.**

 **I was almost in tears writing this, because I hardly write characters crying seriously because I mainly write humour. So, this was a new experience for me.**

 **Anyway...I would love if I got some reviews! I NEED them! Please! Even if they are like three words long. I find everyone who reviews is awesome. I spend a lot of time on these chapters and I really appreciate some feedback...REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Please...?**

 **Thanks to 6747 (Guest) for reviewing! Maybe this chapter we can have even more reviews so then I have a faster and more efficient working pace.**


	7. Bad Luck

**I am not a Robot:**

 _Chapter six: Bad Luck_

* * *

Nanami stared at the ahoge-wearer with a raised brow as he looked upon the class. She wondered what exactly went on in his head to go to class. She didn't mean any offence by it; it was just that it was rather soon to do so. His attitude towards others wasn't really what you would call 'good'.

"I'll make this quick as you have probably heard the same introduction enough times in your life." Hajime began as he folded his arms. "My name is Hajime. No need for honorifics or anything like that. Just Hajime. Don't ask about my talent, you don't need to know."

Everyone stared at him curiously at his unique introduction. It was very blunt. But everyone got the picture.

Hajime glowered as he noticed the vacant seat. The one seat it had to be. Wonderful. Next to the guy who had the name of a beverage. Nevertheless, he walked over and sat next to him silently. He and Nanami both knew how this would end, but Nanami reminded herself to talk to him about it later.

For some reason, the class went by rather slowly. Nanami could practically feel the tension between the two behind her. But at least the lesson was over before they tried to kill each-other.

"Chiaki!" Souda complained as he ran straight over to her. "You didn't tell me that this guy was going to be in the same class as us!" He yelled as he pointed at Hajime, who was right next to him.

Nanami pouted at how unfair the conversation was, considering that Souda thought that she and Hajime shared everything together. "Souda, I honestly had no idea...I don't think that's fair..."

"Yes, please don't make such idiotic assumptions. You sound like a failed attorney..." Hajime concurred.

"What was that...?" Souda asked angrily.

Hajime sighed. "I knew that you were an idiot, but I didn't think that you were deaf too. Tell me, how does someone such as yourself handle that much?" He asked.

Nanami quickly stepped in between the two before the room would be covered in crimson. "I don't think that fighting is a good idea. Souda has repairs this afternoon, and I don't want him to lose any money if he were to get an injury..." She stated.

Souda's eyebrow twitched. "Are you saying that I'll lose...?" He asked in annoyance.

Nanami heard Komaeda let out a small, soft chuckle. "Is it normal for people to argue this much over you, Nanami-San?" He asked with a smile.

Nanami faced him. "I wouldn't say that it's over me, Souda's attitude and Hajime's just doesn't mix well..." She replied.

"If you say so..." Komaeda said with the smile still planted on his face.

"Hajime, this is Komaeda Nagito. He is our year's Lucky Student." Nanami explained, as Hajime just gave the white-haired boy a bored look.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell us your talent Hajime-kun?" Komaeda asked, smiling.

Hajime narrowed his eyes. "I told you all not to do two things and yet you do them both anyway...are you all like this...?" He asked in displeasure.

"Ah, sorry, sorry..." Komaeda apologized. "I didn't mean anything by it. I sometimes just can't help my curiosity..."

Hajime shook his head. "Unless you're someone who is going to die soon, I don't plan on telling you." He stated.

"Ah, well...You never know when someone is to die soon..." Komaeda replied before looking at the ground. "It happens, I guess..."

Nanami wasn't quite sure if she saw something else in his eyes as he said that. Was it sadness? Regret? She didn't know. She decided not to press further with this. He would tell her when he's ready. _If_ he ever told her...

"Pardon the intrusion," A familiar, formal voice apologized, Souda having a huge grin on his face. So of course it was Sonia. "But I do believe that we should all introduce ourselves to Hajime."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Mioda screamed as she ran up. "Ibuki wants to know his secrets to his hair. Oh! Is Hajime wearing Contacts? How is his whites so white?"

Hajime visibly grimaced. "Please refrain from asking so many questions..." He told the band member.

Mioda pouted and started poking Hajime's cheeks. "Aw...! Come on Hajime-Chan! Please...!"

Hajime's patience was increasingly slipping away. He couldn't handle losing anymore brain-cells due to certain idiots.

Suddenly, Mioda stopped poking him. "Ah! Ibuki remembers now! We have to throw two parties! That's like...way more parties than one!"

"Wow...you are so dim-witted that you make the mechanic seem smart..." Hajime mumbled.

"Hey!" Souda shouted, offence obviously taken.

"Kyahahaha!" Saionji laughed loudly. "I like this guy, he actually knows what's what around here. Can't say that for the rest of you bugs...! Not including Big-Sis Mahiru, of course."

Mahiru sighed. "Why can't we just have a normal, kind of quiet class...?" She asked.

"Kehehehe...!" Tanaka chuckled. "If not for all of their unmatched chatter, the Gods wouldn't be amused and would have to destroy all of you mortals...!"

"Kyaaaa!" Tsumiki squeaked. "P-P-Please no!"

"Say, Mr. Hajime...!" Hanamura began. "What kind of 'dish' do you prefer...?"

"I'm not even going to answer that..." Hajime muttered under his breath, slightly disgusted by the not-so-subtle question.

"Come on, Hank! Fight me! Fight me!" Oowari shouted.

"It's Hajime." Hajime grunted.

"Really?" Oowari asked, pausing for a moment. "Fight me! Fight me!"

"Akane!" Nidai began. "He will need the proper training first.

Most of the people in the room began chattering loudly. Hajime was confused and annoyed at the same time. _This_ was everyone introducing themselves...? He suddenly didn't want to think about how wild the party would be if this was just an introduction...

Suddenly, someone else shouted. "Everyone, shut the hell up you dumbasses!" It was Kuzuryuu. He looked as though he couldn't handle much more of the noise either. At least someone knew how to tell people to be quiet...

"Don't you people know how to keep those mouths of yours closed? Do you want me to help you with that, because I will _gladly_ staple them shut!" He warned.

Pekoyama cleared her throat. "What Kuzuryuu means to say is that you are making Hajime feel uncomfortable...this is _not_ how a first impression should be like...we should learn how to get it right just once..." She explained.

Everyone remained quiet as the two spoke. It would've had to be the most quiet it had ever been since Nanami first arrived. She would have to thank Pekoyama and Kuzuryuu for that later...

From that point on, everything went along smoothly. Everyone introduced themselves in a 'calmer' way. As calm as they could be anyway...and Hajime seemed to look better. Nanami could've sworn that she had seen a curve of his lips for a split second.

As everyone made their conversations and were practically surrounding the poor guy, Nanami noticed Komaeda heading for the door. She walked behind him, concerned.

"Nagito, are you okay? Where are you going?" She asked.

Komaeda turned to face her, when he did so, Nanami noticed how pale he looked – even more so than usual – and he looked as if he hadn't slept in a while either. Even though she noticed all of this, he was still smiling. "Ah...yeah..." He replied softly. "I just don't like noisy places too much. That's all..."

Nanami blinked as he exited the room in confusion. She wondered why he did that. Did he catch a cold...? She didn't understand all of the symptoms to a cold, but, he did have a strange aura about him...

"Hajime-Chan! Can I give you a nickname?" Mioda asked, breaking Nanami out of her train of thought.

"Go away...!" Hajime gasped as he was pulled into a headlock by Oowari.

"You need more muscle, man!" Oowari told him, not showing any signs of letting him go. Nanami glanced over at Souda who looked like he was enjoying Hajime's pain. That, or he's still smiling about Sonia...

She sighed. "What to do...?" She asked herself.

* * *

"Tsumiki, can I ask you something?" Nanami asked as she walked up to the young nurse.

"Kya! U-Um…yes…! I-I mean…s-sorry…" The eggplant-haired girl replied, sobbing.

Nanami blinked, unsure of what she was crying for, but decided not to ask. "I was wondering if you noticed something..."

The nurse wiped her tears away from her face, though some stayed in the corner or her eyes, threatening to crawl back down her face. "Noticed...something...?" She asked, confused.

Nanami decided to be a little more specific this time around with her question for Tsumiki. "I noticed it. It's about Nagito. He left early..." She told her.

Tsumiki looked as if she now understood what the gamer was saying. "O-Oh...well, maybe he w-went to the nurse's office...or perhaps even..." She trailed off.

Nanami tilted her head. "Or...?" She said expectantly.

Tsumiki looked really nervous – more so than usual – but still proceeded. "Well, since everyone already knows about it...I-I guess it's okay." She paused for a moment before explaining. "There is a chance that he went to the h-hospital..."

Nanami was caught slightly off guard by this statement. She knew that her friend wasn't looking too well, but to have to go to the hospital? She didn't know what to think about that. Instead, she just smiled in thanks to the nurse.

"Thank you, Tsumiki." She said with a slight bow. Tsumiki looked as if she was going to cry with happiness for some reason, but Nanami still didn't completely understand her.

"ARGH! Just shut up!" Nanami turned around to see that the two 'rivals' were at it again.

"If you ask me, the one who needs to do that would be you. You're worse than a child who didn't get what they want for Christmas." Hajime replied to the mechanic.

"HUH?" Souda screamed.

"Ooh! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Oowari chanted.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Mioda chanted.

"Yeah! Beat each-other up!" Saionji encouraged.

"No, please _don't_ fight!" Koizumi ordered. "Geez, don't you boys have any common sense, or were you raised under a rock?"

"Kehehe...! May the Gods strike the loser dead!" Tanaka exclaimed. "Which means, the pink-haired one shall write his will in his own blood...!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Souda shouted.

"Didn't I already say not to fight?" Koizumi repeated.

Nanami sighed and quietly made her way out of the room – well, tried – but she was stopped.

"Chiaki! Tell this guy to stop acting like a total ass!" Souda told the now involved gamer.

"If anyone is the ass it's you..." Hajime muttered.

"Stop using my own words against me!" Souda yelled.

"Can I leave now...?" Nanami asked.

"Who's going to stop you? The mechanic? He wouldn't even be able to scare a fly. The fly would probably scare _him_ away now that I think about it..." Hajime insulted.

"Hm..." Nanami hummed in thought. "True."

"DON'T AGREE WITH HIM!" Souda screamed in shock.

"But just the other day you-"

"S-Stop!"

Nanami pouted. She couldn't believe how opposite the two boys were. It's like comparing a rabbit to a bear – they're nothing alike. At that moment, she decided that it was in her best interest to leave, quickly mumbling a 'goodbye' to everyone before running off – well, more like speed-walking off.

* * *

When she arrived at the hospital, she instantly noticed a weird smell in the air. She already decided that she didn't like it. It was a good thing that her games didn't include smell-o-vision, otherwise she would've probably malfunctioned a long time ago. She wondered how Tsumiki could be a nurse with all of the strange smells.

She walked up to the reception desk while taking a look around. She could see signs telling people to put a mask on if they had any flu-like symptoms and other signs about needles and such. Not to mention all of the people who were sitting in chairs waiting – nothing that screamed 'emergency', but they all looked like they were here for a reason.

"Hello there," The woman at the desk said to Nanami with a small smile. "What can I assist you with today?"

Nanami gave a small nod. "Actually, I heard that I could find my friend here. Is this true?" She asked.

The woman blinked. "Who might it be that you're looking for?" She answered the question with a question.

"His name is Nagito Komaeda. Is he here?" Nanami asked, tilting her head.

The woman instantly gave off a reaction that she knew the name when she heard it. Her face said it all. It told Nanami that she was shocked. Nanami couldn't figure out why though. It was a simple question.

"Well?" Nanami asked again.

The woman snapped out of her temporary trance. "Ah, yes, yes. Komaeda, right!" She replied.

"What's wrong with that?"

The woman shook her head. "Well, it's just that...for all the times that boy comes here, I don't think that he..." She paused. "Never mind...you can find his room up at 2-3. But please be delicate with him..."

Nanami stared at the woman in thought for a moment before moving up to go see Komaeda. She didn't exactly know what that lady meant by 'delicate', but she decided not to dig too deep into everything. When she got to the room she took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Not too long after, she heard a faint 'come in' from the other side. She did as instructed and closed the door behind her after entering.

She didn't know if it was just the sunlight shining through the curtains or not, but Komaeda looked even paler than before. She stared at the white-haired boy for a moment in confusion. She didn't understand why he was here in a bed where unwell people normally lay in. She didn't understand why he was here in the building at all. It was after a moment's silence until Komaeda finally looked at her, a look of surprise on his face.

"Oh, Nanami-San...my bad, I thought it was one of the nurses coming in." The boy apologized. "I wouldn't have ignored you if I knew. Sorry."

Nanami shook her head. "No, it's fine. No need to apologize." She told him. "I just came to see how you were is all..."

Komaeda blinked and then gave a weak smile. "Ah, you didn't have to do that. I'm fine." He told her.

"..."

"Really, it's fine. This is nothing. I-"

"Then why are you in here?" Nanami interrupted, making Komaeda shut his mouth. "You wouldn't be in here if you were fine. So, why are you here then?" She asked.

Komaeda sighed as he sat up, hunching over slightly. "Well, because every once in a while, everyone needs to go to the hospital. You probably didn't catch many colds because you were home-schooled a lot of the time, so this is probably new to you. It's normal, Nanami-San. No need to worry about anything." He explained, still smiling.

Nanami stared at him in thought. "But, you look different..." She mentioned.

"Haha...that's probably just my bed hair..." Komaeda laughed.

Nanami once again shook her head, narrowing her eyebrows. "No, not like that. You...I don't really get it, but there's something wrong..."

Now it was Komaeda's turn to shake his head. "Nothing's wrong. I promise. Where there's good luck, there's bound to be some bad, right?" He explained. "It's completely normal."

"You're lying..." Nanami mumbled before walking away.

"Uh, Nanami-San?" Komaeda began.

Nanami stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Thanks for coming here to visit, especially since it's out of your way and all..." He told her. Nanami looked at him from the corner of her eye for a moment to see that smile of his again – his genuine smile.

"Bye." She said before walking out of the room, unsure of what else to say. How could she? She had never been prepared for this. It was bad enough that she found out that he was in the hospital, but with him lying right to her like that with a smile on his face was too much. It was wrong. It was cruel.

"Ah, _now_ Monaca is curious...!" A little girl's voice squeaked, interested. Nanami turned to face the source. The girl's green hair could easily grab anyone's attention, but also...the wheelchair could do the job just as well.

"What do you mean?" Nanami asked at the somewhat...different girl.

"Naw...you came out of Mr. Komaeda's room, didn't you?" The girl said with a chipper tone. "Yup, you can't refute Monaca on that, she saw you."

Nanami wondered if the girl was referring to herself when she spoke of 'Monoka'. She supposed it couldn't hurt to ask about it.

"So...you're name's Monaca, I'm guessing...?" Nanami asked carefully.

"Yup! Monaca's name is Monaca." She replied.

"So...Monaca, what is it that you were saying before about Nagito?" Nanami asked curiously.

Monaca tilted her head. "Oh? So you two are already on a first-name basis? Monaca is surprised. Monaca didn't think that he had it in him." She smiled.

"Yes, but what were you saying? You said you were curious...why was that?" Nanami repeated.

"Hm...well, Monaca just thought that he had no friends...the only people who go into room 2-3 is Mr. Komaeda and the nurses. No one else goes in there. Monaca never thought of him as a people-person. But then again, Monaca never liked him in the first place!" She said with a smile. "Big sis and Mr. Komaeda aren't really on good terms...but, shh...don't tell big sis...!"

Nanami couldn't tell if this girl was as innocent as she seemed or if all of that was an act. And whether or not to trust what she says is an even bigger question. But, she figured that it was best if she didn't stay in the hospital for much longer, it wouldn't be good on her mental state if she did so. So she quickly said goodbye to Monaca without waiting for a response so then she could go home.

When she arrived, she was greeted by an oil and grease covered Souda, smiling and showing the gamer his shark teeth.

"Hey Chiaki!" He greeted before leaning closer in. "And just so you know, I totally beat that weird-haired jerk in that argument…!" He added.

Nanami would've normally continued this conversation, but wanted the answer to the most pressing issue on her mind. So, she gave Souda a serious look. "Souda, why do people get sick?"

Souda was slightly taken aback by this sudden question. "Uh…why do you want to know something like that? I mean, human sicknesses don't really affect you, so-?"

"Just answer the question please, Souda…" Nanami interrupted.

Souda was taken aback by the gamer and paused for a moment. "Uh...I guess that it's just a natural thing really...like how some things are contagious – like the stomach flu. It's just something that happens. It can't be helped, really..." He answered.

"Oh..." Nanami simply said.

Souda walked over to her, unsure. "Ah hey, Chiaki...what brought this on? I mean, you never worried about things too much, so...what's the deal?" He asked.

Nanami looked at the floor for a moment in thought, unsure if she should tell Souda or not. She looked back up at him – it was Souda, after all. He's not _too_ judgemental on things...most of the time anyway...

"Well, I went to see Nagito in the hospital today...he looked unwell..." Nanami told him. Souda immediately reacted by the change in facial expression. Nanami figured enough that he would know, after all, Tsumiki did say something along the lines of everyone else knowing. "Souda," She began.

Souda looked at Nanami with a concerned expression. He knew. He knew what path fate would choose Komaeda to go across.

"Is Nagito going to die?" Nanami asked. Souda almost cried at this. The tears threatened to roll down his cheeks as he saw who he considered a little sister's face. He was never prepared for this moment. He didn't know all of the emotions Fujisaki programmed into her, but he figured that Nanami was so nonchalant about everything that she wouldn't be capable of this. She looked as if she was going to cry. She hid it well, but Souda could see her biting her lip as well. He didn't know what to do for her. She was a very important part of his life, even though she hasn't been around for long and it hurt him so badly to see that she was in such a state. Souda bit his own lip as he embraced his little sister into a hug.

"He won't." He told her. "He won't die, okay?"

He didn't hear a reaction to this. Nanami gave no such sign of a reaction. She just stood there. Souda got even more worried. He pulled out of the embrace to see Nanami's face. He gave his best fake smile.

"Hey, it's okay! I mean, just because he's in the hospital doesn't mean that something bad is going to happen!" He reassured his robot. "For example, how do you think babies are born?" He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Nanami nodded. "I suppose." She replied.

Souda had a genuine smile on his face now. "There we go! See, it's fine! That guy's the luckiest man on earth! Nothing can kill him! He'll probably even be granted immortality by a giant dragon or something!" He said.

Nanami smiled. "Yeah. You're right..."

Sometime later, Nanami eventually fell asleep. Souda smiled as her carefully picked her up and brought her to her bed. He set her down and covered her with the blankets. Of course, she didn't really need to have the blankets, but it was always nice to give Nanami things that he could actually afford.

"Good night, Chiaki..." He said softly before going off to his own bed.

* * *

Nanami sighed as she looked at the empty desk beside her. She knew it. He wasn't coming today. Of course, she would be waiting a while for him to come back.

"What's with that look, Nanami-san?"

Nanami turned around to see Komaeda with Hajime. Komaeda had a sweet smile on his face.

"Nagito, what are you doing here?" She asked, confused.

Komaeda chuckled as he sat down in his seat. "Well, I can't miss out on too much class, can I?"

Nanami narrowed her brows. "You know that's not what I meant..." She scolded.

"I was well enough to leave the hospital. Nothing special really." Komaeda answered.

Nanami felt relief as she smiled. She was so happy to hear that one of her best friends was okay. She would be kind of lost without him and all of his helpful advice. He was quite an intelligent person after all...

She turned to Hajime. "And you Hajime? I didn't expect you and Nagito to be together..." She questioned.

"Don't say it like that..." Hajime told her. "And we just so happened to run into each other. It's not like we're friends or anything..."

"Ouch...that hurt Hajime-kun..." Komaeda said jokingly.

Hajime adverted his eyes before leaning down in front of Nanami. "Hey, no need to get so sad over things like that, okay?"

Nanami tilted her head in confusion. How did Hajime know that she was upset? It wasn't like she showed it _that_ well or anything. She thought that she did an okay job at it...at school anyway...

Hajime's cheeks turned a light shade of pink before he quickly walked to his desk and took his seat. Nanami was confused. The whole day was confusing...she didn't know what to think about the whole mess anymore.

...She would tease Hajime for that little blush later on though...she couldn't wait to see his reaction to that...!

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Umm...so it's been a while, hasn't it? Whoops. I had to take a short hiatus to catch up on anime, mainly Noragami. I also wanted to fill up my Instagram a bit, play Love Live and focus on school. I think it worked out mostly well. I think I'm doing well in every subject but Maths. I think I won't be in the top class for that anymore considering I got like 9 out of 27 for one of the test...whoops.**

 **Anyways, this chapter was kind of a hard one to write because it's not like Nanami to be mad or upset with someone. Also, Monaca appearing was something I was unsure of how to implement. I figured that the way I wrote it was satisfactory.**

 **I know this is supposed to have romance in it, but I want to at least give the other characters to have some kind of spotlight. The others probably won't have as big of a spotlight as Komaeda did, but considering that he is kind of one of Nanami's best friends, I thought it should be needed. But I hope this doesn't make you want to leave the story, because I have so many ideas in my brain that it's not funny. I wish I put this much effort into school.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, please REVIEW! I need them reviews. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate those reviews of yours because you're all so helpful with what you say, whether it's how I'm doing with characters, the writing in general or if you like what the plot of the chapter was. There is no such thing as a bad review, so REVIEW! I am now going to respond to them all through PM. If you are reviewing as a guest, I shall thank you all on the next chapter.**

 **(Also if you want to follow me on Instagram, visit my FF profile and the link will be there. I cosplay Chiaki and draw. I will also cosplay Chihiro soon. Thanks).**


	8. Purpose

**I am not a Robot:**

 _Chapter seven: Purpose_

* * *

"How did you do on the test, Hajime?" Nanami asked after everyone received their test papers.

Hajime shrugged as he showed her his test paper. In red, there was the one-hundred percent. Nanami smiled at him as she passed Hajime back his paper. "You did really well on it."

Hajime sat his paper back on his desk as he looked around to make sure that no one was watching or listening...or something like that...he then looked back up at Nanami with a nervous look. Nanami wasn't sure if 'nervous' was the right word, but it looked like it at the time.

"So...what did you get...?" He asked.

Nanami blinked, but soon passed Hajime her paper. He had a look of confusion on his face. It looked like he was disgusted. He looked back up at her with a raised brow.

"How did you only get fifty-five percent?" He asked. "I thought that you were some smart person..."

Nanami shrugged. "I don't know. Math isn't really my thing...I didn't think it was important..."

Hajime shook his head. "You know, if you fail, you won't make it through the year...school for the privileged or not..."

"Oh." Nanami said. "I guess I should do something about it then, should I?"

Hajime passed back her paper. "Well, you have been here for a short time, isn't that correct?"

Nanami nodded. "Yeah, but you have been here for a shorter time than I have, so I don't really think that matters..."

Hajime sighed and leaned in closer towards her. "How about I help you out with it then? Like a tutor." He suggested.

Nanami smiled. That was the most genuine that Hajime has probably been. "Okay. That's fine."

Hajime must have realised how close he was to the girl and backed off into his seat with a faint tint of pink shaded across his cheeks. "A-And no sleeping during lessons...!"

Nanami nodded. "Sure."

Nanami was glad that Hajime offered to tutor her. She could feel like a normal person that way. She could've cheated if she wanted to, but decided against it. Even though studying could be annoying at times, it made her feel more real. She just couldn't bring herself to cheat anyway.

"Ah, good afternoon Nanami and Hajime." Said pair turned to see Sonia Nevermind smiling at them.

"Good afternoon." Nanami replied, trying to resist the urge to bow at her feet. No wonder Souda was so obsessed with her. She gave off such a good vibe.

"Mhm..." Hajime hummed.

"Say, I was wondering if you two would like to accompany me somewhere..." Sonia stated.

Nanami tilted her head. "Do we not have school tomorrow?" She asked in slight confusion.

Sonia shook her head. "Technically, yes. You see, I was going to help out an elementary school with trying to calm down the 'troublemakers'. And since you two are new, I would like to spend some quality time with you and try to get to know you better..."

Hajime rested his chin on the back of his hand. "So what you're saying is that the teachers there aren't even qualified to deal with a few kids? Is the school _that_ desperate for workers that they just hire people off the streets?"

"How many kids do we have to look after...?" Nanami asked.

Sonia was left in thought for a moment before responding to Nanami's question. "If I am correct, four or five..."

Hajime rolled his eyes. "I don't like kids..."

Nanami turned to him. "Why not, Hajime?"

Hajime sighed. "I just don't. They want everything done their way and get snot all over your shirt...what's so appealing about that?" He grumbled.

Nanami pouted. "At least give it a try...Sonia is giving us an offer, we may as well take it..." She suggested.

Hajime looked to the side with a grunt, obviously not happy, but not wanting to argue. Nanami smiled.

"We'll go." Nanami told the princess. "Thank you."

Sonia's smile grew. "That is very kind of you two. I will show you two where we are to go tomorrow morning." With that, she left to talk to her other classmates.

Hajime looked disapprovingly at Nanami. "You are too nice..."

Nanami couldn't understand what the big deal was about this. Sure, Hajime wasn't really one to like people, but this time especially he didn't want to deal with anyone. She wondered why.

"What's so bad about it?" Nanami asked. "We can make new friends."

Hajime stiffened. "Why...?"

Nanami tilted her head. "Huh?"

Hajime narrowed his eyebrows, yet he still spoke softly. "Why would you want new friends? Isn't one enough...?"

"I don't understand..." Nanami mumbled, looking down at the ground. When she looked up, Hajime was gone. She just decided to leave him be. It wasn't like she would know how to find him either. The school was pretty big after all. "I guess I'll see him tomorrow then?"

* * *

Nanami woke up earlier than usual the next morning so then she could meet up with Sonia before school started. She wasn't sure if Hajime was even going to come considering his quiet argument with her.

"Good morning Nanami." Sonia greeted her.

"Good morning..." Nanami replied with a quiet yawn. "Have you seen Hajime yet?"

Sonia shook her head. "Unfortunately, no...I assumed that he would be walking with you..." She answered.

Nanami blinked. "Why do you think that?"

Sonia tilted her head. "Huh? Appologies, but I just thought since you two seem so close...was I wrong...?"

"Well, it's true. Hajime and I are friends. But, we don't live in the same street or anything..." Nanami stated.

"Oh...that was then...my bad..." Sonia said. "But, do you think that he will arrive...? I noticed how he didn't seem to be so...enthusiastic about this..."

"I'm not sure-"

"It's rude to talk behind another person's back..."

"Oh! Hajime! So you have decided to join us after all?" Sonia asked joyfully.

Hajime grunted. "Well, it's better than staying in that place..." He stated motioning to the school building.

There was a silence between Hajime and Nanami when they locked eyes. Nanami wanted to say something, but she didn't know what considering these kinds of situations aren't her strong point. She might end up upsetting Hajime more without even meaning to...and she didn't want that to happen...

Sonia must've sensed the tension between them and intervened. "So...shall we move along? We mustn't keep the children waiting..." She said and began to lead the pair towards the elementary school. It was silent the whole way over. Nanami was still trying to phrase her words correctly in her mind but she kept on jumbling everything up. And by the time that she did, she realised that they were already at the school. She sighed very quietly in disappointment. She'll say something to him later, she wouldn't want him to make an outburst in front of the kids after all...they were kind of here to create a good influence for them...

The three were lead by one of the staff members, who was looking like they didn't want to be here as much as Hajime. They were muttering things under their breath the whole way to the classroom, only stopping to make a good impression on the princess. Nanami couldn't understand what made him so annoyed about this. He worked here. She thought that he should just quit if that was his attitude.

They stopped in front of one of the doors and waited for the staff member to unlock the door for them. Was it really that bad that they had to lock the doors on those kids? Just what do they do?

A click came from the lock on the door and the staff member looked at the group of high school students. "There you go and good luck." He grunted, opening the door. Nanami could've sworn that Sonia sent the man a glare, but she quickly softened her expression as she lead her and Hajime inside. Was the man _that_ bad that he was even annoying Sonia? Nanami always imagined Sonia to be a gentle and patient girl, but she guessed that even a princess could get annoyed by someone liked that. He was kind of pushing it...

The door was shut after the three were in the room. Nanami stared at the door for a moment before looking at the five kids in the room. She then noticed that odd green hair from before...

"What? So they were actually serious about this? I thought that it was just another one of those threats! Though, it never scared me: the leader!" A boy with red hair and a band-aid on his nose declared.

"D-Don't look at me...! If you stare at me for too long, your eyes will probably roll right back into your brain and make this weird gushy sound...!" A boy with a mask covering almost all of his face mumbled slowly.

"Kyaa! That would never be adorbs! You can't just imagine that! It's stuck in my brain now! I can't imagine them not being kind of adorbs!" A girl with long pink hair in pigtails squeaked.

A boy with blue hair sighed. "Calm down...they are just high school students. They aren't bad just yet. Now, quiet down a little...I still do all of the homework around here, remember..."

"Aw...Nagisa, Monaca and all the others appreciate the effort...but Monaca has a feeling that everyone just wants to have fun, meow!"

Monaca looked at Nanami for a moment before smiling. "Ah! It's Mister Komaeda's friend! Monaca thought that she would meet with you again!" She stated.

"Um...yes...I'm Nanami Chiaki." Nanami introduced.

"Oh! Okay! Monaca and everyone else will just call you Chiaki! We don't really use formalities! Address everyone by their first names, we don't mind!" Monaca stated.

"Um...okay..." Nanami replied with a small nod.

"Hey! Hey! Are we going to tell the world about the amazing leader yet?" The red-haired boy shouted.

"Yes, yes! Introductions are in order!" Monaca stated.

"As leader, it is only natural that I go first!" The boy continued. "My name is Masaru Daimon! I am known as the Lil' Ultimate PE! I can practically do anything better than anyone when I am moving!"

"That explains why I do your homework for you..." The blue-haired boy muttered.

"Hey! Leaders don't need to do 'homework'!" Daimon continued.

"Jataro, can you continue this?" The blue-haired boy asked the masked boy.

"Wha! R-Right...introductions..." The masked boy said with a jump. "Not that you will probably remember, but I am Jataro Kemuri and I am known as the Lil' Ultimate Art. I-"

"Alright, I'm going to stop Jataro right there before he babbles on!" The pink-haired girl interrupted.

"Huh...? You interrupted my big speech...! It was going to be super cool too...! Now they'll probably hate me more than they already do..." Kemuri mumbled.

"Oh please! Your speeches are always too long! Just like how some rulers are too long to fit in a smaller pencil case! It doesn't work out!" Pink-hair continued.

"Um..." Sonia began, unsure of how to resolve the ever-growing tension.

"Oh right!" Pink-hair said. "I should introduce myself!" With a bow, the girl began to speak again. "My name is Kotoko Utsugi! It's nice to meet you. I have a title of course, but it doesn't really matter. Just how like if you take a few days off school because you don't want to get out of bed. Speaking of which, isn't it the worst feeling when you finally get comfortable in bed and then you need to get up to pee! Like, totally the worst!"

Nanami was quite dumbfounded at that moment. Utsugi was a very talkative girl. Even though she had said that Kemuri talked too much. She had to try her hardest in order not to fall asleep during her introduction.

"Alright, that's enough Kotoko," Blue-hair told the talkative girl, silencing her with a sigh. "My name is Nagisa Shingetsu. I'm known as Lil' Ultimate Social Studies. That's it really. I'm not going to make a big speech about it or anything..."

Shingetsu turned to Monaca. "Monaca, it's your turn..."

Monaca seemed like she had been waiting for this moment since the beginning. "Okay! Monaca's name is Monaca. She is known as the Lil' Ultimate Homeroom. It's a pleasure to meet you three. Or should I say two? Because Monaca has already met the sleepy one."

Nanami was then showered with confused and intrigued looks from both the rest of the children and Sonia. Until a question was asked.

"So, what are the names of our new friends...?" Monaca asked.

Sonia bowed. "Greetings. My name is Sonia Nevermind. It is a pleasure."

"Hey! You're the princess, aren't you?" Daimon asked.

Sonia tilted her head. "Oh? What gave it away?"

Utsugi rolled her eyes. "Oh, the teachers went on and on about it before you came here. They told us not to touch you or anything because your country will declare war on us or something like that." She explained.

Sonia looked quite surprised at this. "Please, just treat me like how you would treat anyone else. I am confident that my country shall not declare war on you children for so little as touching me."

Nanami just figured to introduce herself before things got weird after that sentence. "I'm Nanami Chiaki. I'm a gamer...well, that's pretty much it..." She introduced as she began to dose off.

Everyone looked at the ahoge-wearer in anticipation. "Hajime." He stated simply. The kids must've figured out that he wasn't going to say anything, so they didn't bother asking about it.

"Well...now that that's over, why don't we do something?" Monaca suggested with a smile.

"Agreed. What is it that you all wish to do?" Sonia asked.

"Well..." Nanami began. "I brought some board games over. I thought we may as well do something fun while we were here."

"Oh! Now we're talking!" Daimon said excitedly as he began to fist-pump the air above him.

"I think we can all agree with that." Monaca stated.

Shingetsu sighed. "Excuse me, but I have things I need to do right now." He said as he sat down in his seat and began to write on a sheet of paper.

"Aw...! Nagisa, that's no fun!" Monaca whined.

"Sorry, but this is really important right now. I need to do this. I can't afford to play any games at the moment." Shingetsu explained.

Monaca's eyes began to water at that, and Shingetsu seemed to almost snap his head up on cue. "Ah! Sorry Monaca! I promise that I'll join in later. I just need to do some of this work, okay?" He said, trying to calm the girl down.

Monaca's eyes seemed to instantly dry up at that point. "Hehe! Okay Nagisa!"

"Oh, how cute! Nagisa's soft side for only Monaca is showing again~!" Utsugi said in a sing-song voice.

Shingetsu went red in the face. "I-It's not like that, okay?" He exclaimed.

"Mm...hm...!" Utsugi hummed sarcastically.

Hajime sighed. "I'm with that kid on this one. I'm not going to be playing any games..."

"Why not, Hajime?" Nanami asked.

Hajime grumbled something, but Nanami couldn't understand exactly what it was.

"Aw...come on big brother Hajime...you can at least join in for a little while..." Monaca insisted with her puppy-dog eyes. Hajime just glared at her with that 'that trick doesn't work on me' look, and she instantly backed off. The other kids looked like they wanted to say something to him for upsetting the green-haired girl, but they didn't in fear of him as he sat against the wall.

"Well…?" Daimon began, trying to break the ice, unsure of how to though.

Monaca's tears suddenly disappeared, as if they were never there in the first place. "Well, are we going to play some games? Big sister Chiaki brought them here, so let's not waste this op-op-oper…?" Monaca trailed off, trying to think of the word.

"Opportunity?" Sonia finished.

Monaca nodded with a big smile. "Yeah! Opportunity! Come on, let's play some games! How about Twister?"

Nanami looked down at the ground, unsure. "Well, I did bring the game, but…" She didn't know how to continue on with what she was saying as she glanced over at Monaca – well, more like Monaca's wheelchair.

Monaca must have noticed this odd look that Nanami was giving and continued to smile. "Oh! Don't worry about a miniscule detail like that! Monaca just thought that she could use the spinner and watch as you all struggle." She assured.

Nanami and Sonia looked at each-other in thought and back to Monaca. "Are you sure…?" Nanami asked, concerned.

Monaca nodded. "Yep! Monaca is happy with that!" She told them once more.

Sonia then smiled. "This shall be fun. I have never played the game, 'Twister' before. I look forward to it."

The two girls proceeded to play with the children, evident that they were all enjoying it. Nanami occasionally gave a glance to Hajime, who had that nonchalant look on his face. She wondered if he would eventually join in, but couldn't exactly figure out the answer to that question.

They all took a break from the games for a moment, as everyone was beginning to feel the after-effects of the game. Nanami had even fallen asleep at one point and crashed on top of everyone, knocking them out of their positions, not that anyone was hurt, she didn't weigh all that much even though she's mainly made out of a bunch of metal parts. Though, Monaca still had a good laugh from it all.

Nanami scooted her way over to Hajime who had looked like he was in a comfortable position on the floor, as Sonia entertained the children with stories of her country, even though they were sometimes weird or disturbing.

"Do you want to join in, Hajime?" She asked, gaining the other's attention.

Hajime blinked. "Does it look like I do? I don't see the appeal..." He answered.

Nanami sat down next to him and just stared at him. Hajime noticed this and began to stare back at her, but more in an annoyed way than a curious way.

"What?" He asked impatiently.

Nanami smiled. "Well, don't you want to know how to deal with and take care of children when you're a father...? Now is a good chance to learn, don't you think so?" She asked.

Hajime instantly turned red and turned his face away from her. "W-What makes you think that _I'm_ going to have kids?" He stuttered.

Nanami giggled a bit at the action. "Well, it makes sense doesn't it? You will eventually find a person that you want to have kids with and take care of them. Even if you don't like them now, you might love kids later, right?" She explained. "I only wish...something like that can happen for me..."

Hajime slowly turned back to her with a confused look on his face. "What...?" He began.

Nanami shook her head. "No, it's nothing..." She told him. "Hey, you're tomato face is gone."

Hajime muttered something under his breath as his cheeks began to glow once again. Nanami couldn't help but to smile. Hajime hardly ever let his guard down, so it was fun to make him blush whenever she could. He was beginning to feel more comfortable, and she was glad for that. It was a good feeling to be able to break him out of the shell he was once in.

Hajime looked at her from the corner of his eye with the blush still on his face. "H-Hey," He began, getting back Nanami's attention. "Why did you say that earlier...? Do-Do you think that you won't be able to get a partner...? Because, well..." Hajime began to get quieter and quieter as he spoke, confusing Nanami. "...You do know that you are an...interesting person...you-you just...you're an..." He trailed off.

Nanami leaned in closer. "What are you saying Hajime? It's difficult to hear you." She told him.

"Ah! It doesn't matter! That's what you get for dozing off too much!" Hajime replied.

Nanami put her index finger on her chin in thought. "Strange, I didn't think that I was dozing off..." She said as she looked back to Hajime, noticing that his face was even redder. "Hey, can I call you tomato-chan?"

"That's not even funny!" Hajime hissed.

Sonia eventually walked over to the pair after she finished talking to the children. "Pardon the intrusion, but, would you two like to assist in baking a cake with us?" She asked.

"A cake?" Nanami asked.

Sonia nodded. "Yes, the children and I all spoke about it and thought that it was a wonderful idea."

"How do you intend to bake this 'cake' without the equipment?" Hajime asked, his 'tomato-chan' look finally gone.

Sonia pointed at another door in the room. "There are appliances in there where we will be able to bake it. Earlier, I spoke with one of the teacher's and they approved of it, giving me the key to the room." She stated, showing said key.

Nanami stood up and walked over to Sonia. "But, I don't know...I mean I've never really baked before – well, not outside of a game anyway..." She said.

Sonia shook her head. "That is quite alright! I've never done this before either! We can learn together! And if we have troubles, we have the children to help us out with it!" She explained.

Hajime rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Great...rely on toddlers to _not_ burn the entire school building down! I don't see any problem with that...!" Hajime said sarcastically.

Sonia's eyes brightened. "I am glad that you agree Hajime!" She said sweetly. Hajime didn't even bother explaining the word 'sarcasm' to the princess.

Nanami glanced back at Hajime. "Are you going to help us with it, Hajime?" She asked.

Hajime stood up with a grunt. "I may as well. I don't feel like dying in a burning building today..." He replied.

Nanami thought about that statement and realised that if the building _did_ burn down, she probably wouldn't survive it either. Hajime helping was definitely a good idea.

Nanami noticed that Shingetsu was also walking towards the door with the kitchen appliances inside. "Oh, Nagisa...you're joining in too?" She asked.

Shingetsu turned to face her and nodded. "I didn't want for Monaca to be upset if I didn't participate, besides, she'll probably be tempted to touch a lot of buttons and switches. I don't want for anything to happen, so I'll have to keep an eye on her along with the others." He explained.

Well, now there were two people protecting the group and school from burning down, Nanami felt even more safe with her first time baking. After they all went into the room, Nanami could see how rich this school actually was. Everything looked to be five-star products and everything looked to be very clean.

"Alright, let us begin!" Sonia declared enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" All the children aside from Shingetsu cheered. Nanami smiled. There was no doubt how good Sonia was with children, she _is_ a princess after all.

During the process of attempting to bake the cake, Shingetsu and Hajime looked very uncomfortable, and eventually joined in to make sure that there were no mistakes on the cake. Nanami was glad that they joined in instead of just watching. It looked like they were having much more fun this way. Everyone ended up being much more relieved once the cake was finally in the oven. Hajime and Shingetsu were constantly watching the oven and clock, though.

"That was fun...!" Nanami said sweetly.

Utsugi nodded. "It's going to look totes adorbs!" She squeaked excitedly.

"Eh...I probably contaminated the whole thing and now everyone won't like me..." Kemuri mumbled soft enough for no one to hear.

"Ha ha! As leader, I declare that I shall have the first piece!" Daimon exclaimed.

"No way! You'll probably eat the whole thing, you pig!" Utsugi accused.

"What? Who told you?" Daimon questioned.

"Calm down, everyone." Shingetsu said calmly.

Nanami faced Hajime, who was fiddling with his hair. "Did you like that, Hajime?" She asked.

Hajime blinked and looked like he was in deep thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah...I-I guess I did..." He admitted.

Nanami felt really glad that Hajime was speaking to her honestly now. The whole experience seemed to do a lot for him. She would have to thank Sonia for this later.

When the cake came out of the oven, everyone rushed to get a piece – even Hajime and Shingetsu. The taste was very appealing, probably thanks to Hajime and Shingetsu.

"This is amazing...!" Sonia said, gaining many agreeing hums in reply.

That ended up being the last activity of the day, and as Nanami left with Hajime and Sonia, she had to wonder what the problem was about the children. They seemed like any normal child she had ever seen, so it really got her thinking about what the school was thinking in putting them in a class like that, all by themselves. What did their parents think of the whole thing? Then again, they didn't seem to like adults all that much. That was just the feeling that Nanami got from them.

Once the three got to a fork in the road, Sonia bowed and said her goodbyes as she headed off her own way. Hajime and Nanami were about to go their own ways too before Hajime surprisingly stopped Nanami.

"Chiaki...sorry..." He said nervously as he scratched the back of his neck.

Nanami blinked in confusion. "For what...?" She asked.

"For...earlier...I was out of line..." Hajime admitted. "I guess I just got a bit possessive...I shouldn't have said any of that."

Nanami took a moment to take in all of the new information before giving him her signature sweet smile. "Hajime, it's fine. I understand." She replied. "You just need to learn how to make new friends while still be friends with your previous ones. But, I do get what you were saying. Human beings can survive in the world without friends, but...it would be lonely. And even though having friends isn't the goal, it's still important that you believe in yourself. I think..."

Hajime blinked. "What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"You know what it is, Hajime." Nanami told him. "You just have to think about it."

Hajime looked at the ground for a moment before smiling with a slight blush across his cheeks. "Yeah...I think I get it!" He looked up and then began to run to the direction of his 'house', waving goodbye to Nanami. "Bye Chiaki!" He called.

Nanami smile grew further and she couldn't help it. She felt so happy to know that Hajime was happy. She felt as if she had truly accomplished something great that day.

And she would continue to help Hajime with being happy.

That was her current purpose, she believed.

And she was happy with that...

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **The chapter is finally done! Congratulate me world! Sorry that this took so long, but I was off camping and then I was visiting people and I got into a 'kids' show called Miraculous Ladybug! It's pretty popular, actually. It has like 16 episodes out and it has like...700+ stories on this site! You guys should watch it!**

 **Also, I was quite surprised last chapter by how much you guys hated Monaca! Like, I hate her too, but wow...! I was questioning if I should've written this, but I guess I just decided to in the end because of the fluffy fluffs. FLUFFY FLUFF SCARF ACTIVATE!**

 **Also, I'm kind of super excited for this year because Kazuichi is finally going to have his time to shine in a manga! Whoop Whoop!**

 **So, with all of that out of the way, REVIEW PLEASE! They are so fun to read! Trust me, Monaca will not be making many appearances from now on, so don't worry! We are free of the devil child spawn! You are very welcome! REVIEW AGAIN PLEASE!**


	9. Enjoyment

**I Am Not A Robot:**

 _Chapter Eight: Enjoyment_

* * *

"Ibuki declares that we are officially doing it!"

Four pairs of eyes stared at the musician in confusion. The eyes, of course, belong to Souda, Komaeda, Hajime and Nanami. The way that Mioda phrased her statement wasn't helping either.

The mechanic was the one who dared to question the motives of the musician. "Er...what is it that we're 'doing' exactly?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mioda blinked. "Aw...! Ibuki thought it was obvious! We're going to be having our party this weekend! Can Ibuki get a 'yahoo'?" She explained.

Komaeda tilted his head to the side. "What party?" He asked.

Mioda pouted that everyone ignored the whole 'yahoo' thing, but quickly forgot about it and smiled brightly. "Well, Ibuki promised that she would host parties for the newcomers! And so, she is going to take everyone to the beach this Sunday!"

"That's...a little bit of a short-notice invite, Mioda..." Souda stated.

"Huh?" Mioda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, well...Sunday is two days from now. What if everyone has plans?" Komaeda added.

"Ibuki already asked everyone else! They said that they are free!" Mioda replied.

"Yeah...but what if _we_ have plans...?" Souda continued.

"Huh? Is Kazuichi-chan saying that he has?" Mioda asked.

Souda looked like he was about to say something, but quickly shut his mouth with a small grunt and didn't say anything else. When Mioda looked at everyone else, they didn't say anything in protest. "Awesome! Looks like it's happening! Ibuki wants everyone to bring a swimsuit! No one can go to the beach without one!" And with that, the musician skipped away happily.

"I never even said I was going...what is wrong with her?" Hajime asked.

Nanami smiled. "It might not be so bad. After all, I've never been to the beach before." She said.

Hajime looked at her curiously. "You haven't...?" He asked.

Nanami shook her head. "Nope." She paused. "You are saying that like you have been there before. Have you?"

Hajime looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Hm...maybe..." He mumbled.

Nanami blinked. "Maybe?"

Hajime looked back at the gamer. "Well, I can't exactly remember clearly. I probably did when I was really young, but it's not something that you should quote me on." He explained.

"Oh, I see..." Nanami said in thought.

Souda nodded happily with a smile now on his face for some reason. "Yeah, like Chiaki said, it will be _amazing_!" He said with a sigh.

Hajime looked at the mechanic from the corner of his eyes. "I thought you weren't looking forward to this..." He muttered.

Souda frowned. "Well, at first...but if you think about it, this is my chance!" He explained.

"Chance?" Nanami asked curiously.

"Yeah, do you have a secret six-pack under that jumpsuit? That would be one for the books..." Hajime asked with a smirk.

Souda shook his head. "It's nothing like that! It's something much better!" He replied.

Hajime muttered something about how he knew that Souda wouldn't have a six-pack, but Nanami was still curious about what his main point was. "So, what is your chance going to be?" She asked.

Souda looked to her and paused for a moment, but just smiled. "Oh, nothing Chiaki!" He answered excitedly.

Komaeda leaned towards Nanami and whispered into her ear. "I think it has something to do with Sonia..."

"Oh..." Nanami answered in a slightly disappointed voice, hoping that the 'chance' would've been something much better.

"H-Hey! You don't know that it has anything to do with Sonia-san!" Souda growled at the pale boy.

"Of course, if you say so..." Komaeda replied, his voice filled with doubt.

"Hey," Nanami began. "Do any of you know where I can get a swimsuit?"

There was a brief pause that felt like it could've lasted forever. One could say that Souda's hopes and dreams were crushed as he looked like he was dissolving.

"Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy?" Souda mumbled softly to himself as he huddled into a corner.

Hajime snickered as he watched Souda's misery. But then it got him wondering why the mechanic was so upset about getting a swimsuit. To him, it wasn't a big deal...but Souda was beyond obsession with the gamer.

He sighed. He truly couldn't understand idiots...

* * *

"Come on Fujisaki, you can come with us, can't you?" Souda asked the poor programmer.

"I'm sorry, Souda-kun, but I've already been invited somewhere. I have to show what I have been doing for the past couple of months to a large group of people. And besides, my dad is coming with me and he was really happy for me. If it was another day, then maybe..." Fujisaki apologised, even though he really didn't have to.

Nanami watched the pair talk with each other at the kitchen bench. It was Friday, in other words, the day before the beach trip. Nanami glanced at the somewhat large plastic bag next to her that contained her swimsuit. She had bought it that day, and it was one that the worker at the store recommended to her. She said that it would work well for someone like her. Nanami didn't really understand, but the worker seemed like they really wanted her to buy it so she did.

"B-But, how am I supposed to watch over Chiaki?" Souda asked.

Fujisaki blinked. "Like you normally do, I guess...?" He answered, even though he was still confused over the whole situation.

Souda shook his head. "I can't though! S-She'll be showing off her...parts...at the beach! I don't want that! All the guys will harass her! Especially Hanamura! I won't be able to get past the crowd!" Souda argued.

"It's fine, Souda. They won't find out that I'm an AI living inside a robot body." Nanami assured him.

"That's not what I was referring to!" Souda shouted, pointing a finger at her.

Fujisaki went over to Nanami with an apologetic look on his face. "Um...so how are you getting to the beach...?" He asked.

"Mioda knows some important people and got us a private bus, why?" Nanami answered with some confusion.

Fujisaki smiled. "Don't worry, Souda-kun won't bother you while you're in the bus then."

Nanami raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Fujisaki giggled. "You'll know it when you see him." He replied. "Anyway, I have to go. My dad said I had to be early tonight. Bye!"

"Bye!" Souda and Nanami called out in unison as the programmer left. Souda soon after, shot a look at Nanami.

Nanami was a little afraid to ask, but she did it anyway. "What is it?"

Souda smiled widely, his eyes sparkling. "So? So? What kind did you buy? What colour? Does it make you look cuter than usual? Does it show off your-?"

"You'll find out tomorrow, Souda." Nanami interrupted. "I'm sleepy; I'm going to get some rest..." Nanami grabbed the plastic bag with her items in it before Souda got any ideas of peeking through it and went to her room to get some sleep. She was going to need it so then she didn't fall asleep in the water the next day.

* * *

"Ahahahaha! Kazuichi-chan is so funny!" Mioda laughed uncontrollably.

Souda had looked nervous before he had gotten on the bus, but Nanami completely forgot that he had a really bad case of motion-sickness. He was protesting, but later, he motivated himself by mumbling some words under his breath. While motivational speeches are nice and all, that didn't really stop him from looking like he was going to throw his cookies all over Nanami's clothes – she had been forbidden to wear it on the bus by Souda, not that anyone else was wearing there's on the bus. Souda's head never moved from Nanami's shoulder as he tried to keep himself calm and cool.

"How are you feeling?" Nanami asked, slightly concerned.

"...Dead..." Souda groaned. Nanami truly felt sorry for those who had motion sickness. It would be so hard to enjoy a trip when you're trying to keep breakfast from coming out the wrong way. Though, she had to admit, it was a much quieter and more peaceful Souda than the one that she's used to.

"I did not think that you were vulnerable to motion-sickness, Souda." Sonia admitted. "That is an...unusual quality for someone such as yourself..."

"Ah, n-no! It's not that bad Sonia-san!" Souda insisted, but he remained on Nanami's shoulder anyway.

"Hm...Perhaps Tsumiki has something to help with that...?" Sonia questioned.

The nurse was already rummaging through her large bag filled with medical equipment and medicines, searching for something that could help. "I'm sorry, Souda! I'm trying to find it! Please forgive me!" She sobbed.

"Uh-huh..." Souda replied, too weak to say words that involved his mouth moving.

"No no!" Saionji interrupted. "Leave him like this; it's funny to see him suffer...!" She said with a snicker.

This gave Souda the motivation to speak again and shot his head up from Nanami's shoulder and pointed at the dancer. "Hey! I wouldn't be saying that if I were you! If you don't shut up, I'll-!" And...he went back to Nanami's shoulder in agony.

"Haha! You can't even finish your empty threat! Lame!" Saionji laughed.

"You're hilarious, Kazuichi-chan!" Mioda said through her loud laughter. Souda just groaned.

"Someone throw me out the window..." He muttered.

"Kehehe...! My Dark Gods of Destruction could certainly help with that request of yours...!" Tanaka chuckled.

"Hey, so when are we supposed to get there already?" Owari asked. "Coach Nidai and I need to do some sparring!"

"We'll get there soon, calm down...!" Nidai told her. "Then again, I really need to do a-"

"I just can't wait to see all of the swimsuits! It will be like having desert before the main course!" Hanamura said happily.

Koizumi rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Meanwhile, I'll be taking some shots, so get ready for some poses."

"Yeah, and I can mess with-I mean, _play_ with Mister Crabs!" Saionji added. "And Mister Ants!"

"Hey! What if Ibuki were to sing a-?"

"NO!" Everyone excluding Nanami, Hajime and Souda shouted – even the bus driver.

"Aw...! Denied..." Mioda sulked.

"Ah! Here, Souda! I found the medicine f-for you!" Tsumiki called as she began to walk over to him with the open bottle filled with pills along with an open bottle of water.

Souda smiled and slowly removed his head from Nanami's shoulder. "Wow, thanks Tsumiki...! That's real cool of you to-"

"WAH!" Tsumiki ended up tripping over after the bus took a turn that she was not prepared for and all of the pills began to spread themselves over the floor, while the water splashed all over Souda, his smile faltering.

"Wah! I-I-I-I'm so s-s-sorry! F-F-Forgive me...p-please!" Tsumiki cried.

Souda just groaned and placed his head back onto Nanami's shoulder. "Crap, I feel worse..." He muttered.

"Kyahahaha!" Saiyonji laughed.

"I-I-I-I s-s-said that I was s-sorry...!" Tsumiki panicked, still crying.

* * *

"Souda, are you going to get off the bus...?" Nanami called from the bus door, Hajime at her side.

"Give me a minute..." Souda groaned, lying across the back seats. "Or an hour..."

"Let's just go. He obviously doesn't feel well, so may as well let him sleep." Hajime suggested. Nanami thought about it and nodded.

"We'll come back for you soon, Souda!" Nanami told him. The pair heard a faint humming sound as they left. "I'm just going to the changing room." She told the ahoge-wearer.

"Okay...?" Hajime replied. "Don't take too long. Most of the people you hang out with are boys, so if you fall asleep, don't expect for someone familiar to come in."

Nanami ignored that little statement that Hajime gave her and left to go to the changing room.

* * *

Hajime couldn't quite figure out the point in coming to the beach. Everyone always made such a big fuss about how 'great' it was. Really, it was just an easy way to get sunburn. And for people to perv on each-other without the others getting mad because they were the ones showing too much skin. If he was still in that old building, he would have never even given a thought about coming here. He glanced over to the girls' changing rooms in thought. There was something that stopped him from refusing that face. Even if she was nonchalant most of the time, Nanami seemed excited to see the ocean and play in the sand. Hajime sighed. The girl was making him go soft.

Hajime carried the bag over his shoulder to where the rest of the guy students had placed theirs under a beach umbrella. Most of them were taking of their shirts at that moment and Hajime decided to do the same. There was no sense in getting his day clothes full of sand.

He smiled at how quiet the area was, probably without the loud mechanic and musician around. He raised his eyebrow in thought, wondering if all girls changed together. He felt his face heat up at that moment and quickly shook the thought off. He wouldn't let a small thing like that ruin his composure.

"Yahoo! Mioda Ibuki and her many companions have arrived!" The musician called out. "And the guys have all got no shirts on! Miodi can assume that they are ready...! Haha! Ibuki said 'assume'! She has never used such clever language!"

Hajime looked along with the other guys as the girls arrived. He bit his lip tightly to stop his mouth from dropping as Nanami walked up to him with a small smile.

"Sorry." She apologised with a yawn. "I almost fell asleep."

"Maybe you shouldn't go into the water..." Hajime advised as he stared at Nanami for an unintentionally long time. She was wearing a _white bikini_. Out of all the swimsuits, he would have never figured that Nanami would choose such a... _daring_ one...

Nanami blinked in confusion. "Is something wrong...?" She asked in a concerned voice.

Hajime snapped out of his small trance and shook his head. "No, nothing..." He grunted, folding his arms.

Nanami shrugged. "If you say so..." She replied. "..." This time it was Nanami's turn to stare at him. He would never admit it for the world, but he was starting to feel a little nervous.

"W-What's wrong?" He asked.

"..." Nanami looked like she was trying to mentally put her words together. "Well, you look nice, Hajime. I wasn't expecting that from you."

Hajime was wondering if he should take the statement as a compliment or an insult. Even if he wanted to though, he didn't think that he could throw a comeback at Nanami.

"Well," He began with a sigh, the heat to his face coming back. "You look nice too..." He whispered.

Nanami gave him that nonchalant stare that she often had on his face and then smiled. "Thank you, Hajime." She said.

The silence between the two came back again and Hajime looked around, hoping for someone to come in between them – for once – to save him from the silence that he once loved. But the one time he wanted someone to, no one did. Typical.

"You know, Hajime..." Nanami began after a while, making him turn back to listen to her. But, of course now they were interrupted by the mechanic who was charging at them like he was in some sort of stampede.

"C-Chiaki! W-W-W-?" Souda began to yell in confusion.

Nanami glanced at him confused. "What's wrong, Souda?" She asked.

"Th-That swimsuit! I-It's-!"

Hajime rolled his eyes. He knew that Souda would react like this, but in front of everyone?

"It's pretty good on you!"

Hajime, Nanami and Souda turned to face the voice that was obviously not part of their class. He looked to be roughly around their age at least. But he looked to be very...well, he had a punk-aura or something along those lines about him.

* * *

Nanami recognised the flaming red hair and goatee that the teen in front of them had. The piercings too. It was the guy that Nidai and Oowari chased around, getting him to practice.

"Leon, just shut up! Don't tell her that!" Souda yelled.

Nanami tilted her head. "You know him, Souda?" She asked.

Kuwata smirked. "Yeah, we know each-other. We go back a bit! Back when he had black hair!" He said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah? I remember back when you had your normal colour too! You were a natural blonde!" Souda replied with his arms folded.

Kuwata shrugged. "No big deal. I mean, it's not like I'll go back to being blonde or anything, but it's nothing embarrassing either."

Souda grunted. "What are you even doing here, Leon? I thought you said that you had plans because of the miracle that you had a gig..."

Kuwata blinked. "Well...yeah...your point...?" He asked.

Souda clenched his fist tightly. "My point is that you aren't supposed to be here!" He yelled.

"Really? Mioda would have to disagree with that." Kuwata said.

"Are...you and Mioda good friends?" Nanami asked the baseball player.

Kuwata smiled. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. She's been helping me out with music while Maizono-San is busy." He explained.

"Ugh...so you're saying that you and Mioda will be playing together?" Souda asked, less than enthusiastic about it.

Nanami wondered what could be so bad about it. She had never listened to Mioda or Kuwata play, but surely they had to be good. Kuwata was being taught by one of the best high-school musician's, so what else was she to think?

Kuwata nodded. "Hey, it'll be awesome! Trust me!"

Kuwata then stared at Nanami for a short moment before he smiled widely again. "So, your...Nanami right?" He asked.

Nanami nodded in an answer.

"Whoa, you really do look like Fujisaki, huh? And it's definitely not a trap this time...yeah, you're pretty cute!" Kuwata said. "Hey, you got a phone number? You might need someone to talk to about how to keep Kazuichi quiet, because I know!"

"Um...I don't have a phone of my own..."

"Eh? That's crazy! Kazuichi, you need to take care of her properly, or I might just take her!" Kuwata told the mechanic.

Souda grunted. "Don't you need to prepare for your 'gig', Leon?" He asked in annoyance.

Kuwata laughed. "Yeah, I guess I do! See you guys later!" And with that, Kuwata was long gone. It was pretty easy to tell that he was an athletic person, by how fast he was.

Hajime sighed loudly, causing Souda to give him an annoyed look. "What?" He asked, showing his sharp teeth.

Hajime looked at Souda from the corner of his eye. "Oh nothing. You can just tell that he's friends with _you_." He replied with a smirk.

Souda smiled and then laughed, causing Hajime to raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Didn't I somehow offend you this time?" He asked.

"Ha! You're not going to get to me this time antenna-head!" Souda said, pointing a finger at said antenna-head. "Nothing can ruin my day here! After all, I get to see Sonia-san in a-!"

Nanami blinked. She thought that Souda got irritated by Kuwata a few seconds ago. Perhaps he just remembered the whole Sonia thing and got himself really happy and excited?

"-In a...wetsuit?" Souda finished in disbelief. Nanami and Hajime glanced over to where Souda was staring and Sonia was indeed wearing a wetsuit. "S-Sonia-san?"

At hearing her name, Sonia walked over to where the small group was with a small smile on her face. "Yes, is there a problem?" She asked innocently.

"W-Well, what you're wearing, it's-!"

"Yes, it is a wetsuit. I do not wish for my skin to get sunburn." Sonia finished for him. "Is that all?"

"Y-Yeah..." Souda answered in an unsure tone. Sonia did a quick bow and left to go into the water. It was quiet for a moment until Souda chirped up again. "Hey! This could work too!"

Hajime brought his hand to his forehead. "I think I'm going to go before I lose more brain-cells." And with that he left.

Nanami looked at him as he left and was about to look back at Souda until she realised that he was gone. She looked around, but saw no sight of him. That mechanic sure could run fast when he thought about the princess.

Nanami just shrugged it off as she decided to just go for a swim with all the others. There was no point in coming to the beach if she was just going to sit around. She kind of wished that there was an arcade though.

"Nanami-san!"

Nanami turned to see Komaeda smiling and waving at her. She walked over to him to see what it was that he wanted.

"Yes?" She asked.

Komaeda stopped waving, but continued to smile at her. "Well, what kind of ice-cream do you like?" He asked curiously.

Nanami tilted her head at the somewhat strange question. "Why do you want to know that?" She asked.

Komaeda shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Just tell me!" He insisted.

"Hm..." Nanami hummed in thought. "...I guess I like strawberry..." She told him.

Komaeda's smile widened. "Thank you, Nanami-san!" He said, and just ran off. Nanami thought that it was weird, even though she should definitely be used to it by this point.

"Hey, Nanami! Are you getting in the water?" Koizumi called from behind. Nanami turned around and nodded with a small smile, forgetting the odd encounter.

* * *

Hajime finally found someone that he could stand being around – other than Nanami – to the point where he would voluntarily sit down with them. They sat on opposite sides of a bench, though not speaking. He knew how to keep his mouth shut. At least, as long as no one called him "Baby-face", "Shorty", "Shrimp", "Midget" and anything else that attacked his self-esteem in terms of height.

Hajime couldn't help but glance over to his direction and notice a certain bamboo sword beside him. He was observant enough to know who it would belong to.

"Doesn't that belong to Pekoyama...?" He asked and immediately covered his mouth. It was weird for him to do this because he didn't normally regret saying anything to anyone. Then again, the guy he was talking to _is_ a yakuza. And said yakuza was glaring at him. Truth be told, Hajime was trying to hold his laughter in. The yakuza's attempt at scaring him was having the opposite effect.

"Yeah, so? It doesn't mean anything!" Kuzuryuu yelled.

Hajime raised a brow, trying to distract himself so then he wouldn't laugh and possibly be murdered. "I thought that Pekoyama was a woman who wouldn't go anywhere without her sword...bamboo or not..." He replied.

Kuzuryuu grunted and calmed himself down. "She just needs to go places and be relaxed. She needs to learn how to be calm without her sword. So, I told her to leave it with me." He explained.

This confused the ahoge-wearer. "And...she just agreed with those terms...?" He asked sceptically.

"Of course she did! She can't refuse!" Kuzuryuu replied, probably being the first to truly shock Hajime to the point of being speechless. His shock must have shown because Kuzuryuu immediately corrected himself. "N-Not like that! I don't force her! She just does what I tell her to do on her own!"

It was at this point that he pondered about calling the police and getting this lost sassy child some therapy...

"What is going on here...?" Speaking of which, Pekoyama walked up to the pair with the same tone that she always uses.

"Tch. It's nothing..." Kuzuryuu replied.

Hajime was still confused about the relationship that the pair had. He didn't know if it was even a good or bad one.

"Hajime," Pekoyama began, gaining Hajime's attention again. "I came over here to tell you that Komaeda wanted to see you." She pointed in a direction to Hajime's left and he definitely saw Komaeda.

All he could wonder was what was with the ice-creams...

* * *

"N-Nanami! P-Please don't fall asleep in the water!"

Nanami opened her eyes and turned around to see the hysterical Tsumiki. Nanami tilted her head, confused. "I'm still standing though..." She told the nurse.

"B-But weren't you falling asleep?" The nurse asked her, to which Nanami didn't reply with an actual answer.

"I was standing." She repeated.

"Um...r-right! I-I'm sorry, Nanami!" Tsumiki squeaked. Nanami shook her head.

"...Don't apologise...you were just trying to take care of me..." She told her.

Nanami decided to get out of the water so then she could lie down. The water made her tired. She found a nice spot on the sand to sit down on and faced the water to watch the others. She looked around and noticed that Tanaka was even building a sandcastle. A very good-looking, detailed sandcastle at that. She also noticed four creatures running around the sandcastle and she figured it out. That was why Tanaka was working incredibly hard on it, for his hamsters. Probably their 'evil lair' or something along those lines.

She sighed as she looked back to the water. She wasn't used to the amount of sunshine she was currently getting.

Nanami heard someone sitting down next to her, so she looked at them from the corner of her eyes and noticed that it was Hajime. Holding two...ice-creams...?

Hajime stared at her for a moment before holding the strawberry flavour out towards her. Nanami shuffled so then her whole body was facing Hajime and stared at the ice-cream as Hajime turned his head away from her.

"It'll melt if you don't eat it..." He mumbled. Nanami smiled and gently took the ice-cream out of Hajime's hands. Hajime turned his head back to face her again. Nanami could've sworn that she saw the corners of Hajime's lips curve upwards ever so slightly. She smiled even more warmly than before.

Both she and Hajime began to eat their ice-creams with smiles on their faces. Once she was about halfway through, Nanami decided to talk.

"Thank you, Hajime." She told him, to which he just hummed in acknowledgement as he continued to eat his ice-cream.

This time, she decided to start up an actual conversation. Once she thought of a topic, she spoke again. "Are you having fun?" She asked sweetly.

Hajime raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I guess so." He replied. "Though I have been with the yakuza most of the time..."

Nanami giggled. "He's not so bad..." She told him.

Hajime shrugged. "Not so bad until he calls all of the other members of his clan after you call him a shorty..." He muttered.

Nanami stared at him in thought. "Hm...are you sure that you don't remember your first beach trip?"

Hajime paused at eating his ice-cream and looked up at the sky in thought. "...No...I don't." He replied.

Nanami looked at him sympathetically until he faced her with a small, warm smile. "But, I don't know...something tells me that this still would've been my favourite beach trip..." He said genuinely.

Nanami's eyes sparkled as her mouth hung slightly open in amazement. "That's...very amazing of you, Hajime..." She told him. "I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself!"

Instead of the usual 'ugh, whatever' reaction she expected, Hajime just laughed and said, "Yeah, I guess I really did!"

Hajime looked at her kindly. "No, but seriously, Chiaki, thank you..." He said.

Nanami wasn't exactly sure about what she did, but if Hajime was happy, she couldn't complain. After all, Hajime's smile was very sweet. It calmed her. It suited him very well, and she hoped that he would continue to wear the smile. Though, she could've sworn there was some sort of sound in the distance.

Hajime looked over to where the sound was coming from. "Is someone being murdered? That screaming is deafening...!"

Nanami and Hajime struggled to make their way to where the sound was coming from, covering their ears with their hands and noticed the problem. Or, _problems_.

"And that one is one Ibuki likes to call 'When Life Gives You Lemons, Squeeze Those Lemons Into Life's Eyes'!" Mioda announced. Nanami noted the unreasonably long song title. "Thanks to Kuwata-Chan, we were able to do a duet!"

"That was a duet...?" Hajime muttered.

"Hm, that was very interesting and unique...!"

Nanami and Hajime glanced to the voice beside them and saw someone who hid their hair in a black cap and wore sunglasses mumbling to themself. The person took off their sunglasses and cap so then their eyes were visible and their long hair flowed freely out. Nanami recognised the person, and apparently, so did Kuwata.

"M-Maizono-san?" He sputtered.

"Yep! It's me!" Maizono announced.

Mioda whistled. "Ooh! Now it's getting interesting! What would the Super High-School Level Idol want with Ibuki and Kuwata-Chan?" She asked.

Maizono smiled. "Simple! I think we should team up! We could do totally new stuff together! Combining different genres together and all that!"

Hajime sighed. "Well, at least it's not just our class that is full of nutjobs..."

Nanami smiled. She kind of liked how interesting everyone at Hope's Peak were. That's what made them fun.

...Even though she could do without Mioda's new hit single...

She felt a light tap on her shoulder and faced the person – Komaeda – who was behind her.

"I hope that you enjoyed the ice-cream, Nanami-san." He said with a smile before walking off.

Nanami tilted her head. Komaeda might've been one of her best friends, but she really couldn't bring herself to understand him sometimes...

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I'll start this off by saying how sorry I am for the long wait! I originally intended for this to come out much earlier, but I unfortunately gave my teacher the USB this was on and I couldn't write it for about 4 weeks because he had it for so long and I was already halfway through the chapter when I gave it to him. But, I am back!**

 **The next update will hopefully be sooner though. I have finished my half-year exams, but now I need to do some work on my cosplay of Yukine from Noragami for SydneyNova in just over 2 weeks. Then I also have birthday gifts to work on and along with a fancomic. Plus, I have all of my other stories to work on.**

 **I was rereading the reviews and I was really happy with all of them. You all seem to enjoy this so far, which is great, because I am enjoying writing it too! Yes, the arguments are fun to write. And I have seen all of the Miraculous episodes up to date, haha, I even watch them in French with no subtitles because I was so impatient!**

 **I hope that you will all forgive me for taking a long time, because I should have backed up the files before giving the USB to my teacher...I apologise. And please leave a review! I love reading your reviews because they are all very helpful!**

 **(I also wonder if anyone caught that One Punch Man reference I snuck in...)**

 **Thanks for reading! And please, please, please review! I love them so much!**


End file.
